My Big Fat Marauder Wedding
by sillycucumber
Summary: This is kind of a sequel to 'Dancing Queen'. A story of James and Lily's wedding, including the events that lead up to it.
1. Chapter 1

*Hey guys! If you read the prequel to this, welcome back! If this is your first time reading my sort-of series, then welcome! Don't feel you have to read 'Dancing Queen' to understand what's going on. I'm sure you'll pick it up easy enough.  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah, unfortunately her royal highness owns all this. Isn't she just the best?  
  
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Lily Evans drowsily walked up the steps to the front door of her house. The sun was slowly setting behind her, making her hair glow vibrantly. She sighed as she reached into her pocket, pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. She pushed it open and smiled weakly as she crossed the threshold, the feeling of relief that she was home flooded over her.  
  
"James? Are you home?" she called, closing the door behind her. She listened for an answer as she hung her jacket on the peg next to the door, but there was none. She sighed walked over to the large red armchair by the fire and flopped down into it. Lily sighed as she kicked her shoes off, rested them on the footstool with a grunt and closed her eyes.  
  
She was exhausted for her day at work. They Ministry was in disarray lately over recent attacks from Voldemort, and her department along with many others that you wouldn't normally think would be needed, were heavily involved in trying to sort it out.  
  
Lily was working in the Department of Muggle and Wizard Cross-relations. Basically, it was her job to keep peace between the two worlds if any upset were to occur. She therefore, worked very closely with the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department.  
  
Although Lily had only been there a few months, she was already very good at what she did. Her heritage of being a Muggle-born definitely came in handy more than once a day.  
  
"Hey Eve." Lily said, petting her owl that had just landed on her knee. She hooted with pleasure as Lily's long fingers delicately stroked the owl's chest. The owl nipped Lily's finger affectionately, before flying back over to her perch, next to James's owl Jasper.  
  
Lily looked around her living room. It was slowly becoming increasingly dark, and everything was beginning to throw shadows up the walls. She reluctantly got up, switched on a few lamps and walked into the kitchen. She flicked on the light, walked over to the fridge and opened it. She bent down and thought for a moment, before pulling out a bottle of Butterbeer.  
  
Lily went back into the living room and was about to turn the TV on, when the front door swung open and James walked in, carrying some sort of parcel.  
  
"I'm home!" he called, having not spotted Lily standing meters away from him. She chuckled, put her bottle down and threw herself onto him, wrapping her legs around him. He stumbled, but thankfully did not topple over.  
  
"Oh, hello." He said, slightly startled. Lily chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Hello yourself." She said. James chuckled as she bent down and kissed him. "Have a good day?" she asked, getting off him. James snorted and placed his keys in the bowl next to the door.  
  
"Yeah, well generally speaking it was. But come on, I bought Fish'n'chips." He said, holding up the package. Lily let out a sigh of relief and dragged him into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh thank god. I'm so tired." She said, letting her eyes close. James chuckled and kissed the side of her head.  
  
"Yeah, I thought you might be. How's everything going?" he asked, getting plates from the cupboard. Lily sighed and sat down at the small table in the kitchen. They hardly ever used the large dining room except for when they entertained.  
  
"Well, Arthur Weasley came in today and we worked on that upset in Essex. The woman who complained said her muggle neighbor was discriminating against her. Says her neighbor would abuse her verbally over the fence.' Lily rubbed her eyes. 'Honestly, if the man was so horrible, I don't know why she even told him." She said. James chuckled, handed her a plate and began unfolding their dinner.  
  
"Why was Arthur there then?" he asked.  
  
"She jinxed his washing machine. It floods everywhere, and when he opened it and leant in to try and fix it...well, you can guess what happened." She said. James snorted and began helping himself to chips.  
  
"Your only 18, and already you're running yourself ragged." He said. Lily smiled at him.  
  
"Me, nah. I'm fine. What about you, did you have a good day at training?" she asked, standing up to get a Butterbeer for James. He snorted and shook his head.  
  
"Never a dull day at that place. I think today was a record for mishaps." He said. At Lily's questioning look, he continued. "Well, Moody was strongly engrossed with his 'Constant Vigilance' speech, when Kingsley Shackelbolt came in. Sirius was so enthralled with Moody's talk that he got so shocked, he cursed Goodson next to him and singed his eyebrows off." He said, chuckling. Lily looked surprised for a second, before she too started giggling.  
  
"Was Moody pissed?" she asked. James snorted and broke off a piece off fish.  
  
"You could say that. He told Sirius to stay back. I reckon he's still there." He said. Lily chuckled.  
  
James and Sirius were both in Auror training. Their instructor happened to be Alastor Moody, and although he was very harsh and strict, he was still very good.  
  
"Poor guy. He's been a bit out of it lately." She said. James nodded and ate another chip.  
  
"Hmm. He seems a bit distant lately. I've tried asking him what's wrong, but he wont tell me." He said. Lily looked concerned.  
  
"He won't tell you?" she asked. James nodded.  
  
"Yeah. He just keeps telling me not to worry and to stay focused on the wedding." He said. At this, Lily smiled.  
  
"Speaking of which...' she started. James snorted.  
  
"Oh boy. Here we go." He said. Lily hit him playfully in the arm.  
  
"As I was saying, I've planned to go into London soon and look around for dresses. Mum said she would take me around." She said. James smiled and nodded. "When are you taking the others around to look at suits?" she asked.  
  
"Soon." James said smiling. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Can you be a bit more specific?" she asked. James chuckled, stood up and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Nope." He said. Lily sighed and watched him put his plate in the sink. "Oh look, I don't know. We have to work around training and Peter's job and the full moon." He said, leaning against the bench. Lily nodded.  
  
"Ok. Well let me know when you've got an idea." She said, turning in her seat to look at him. James nodded and watched her fondly from across the counter. Lily stood up and smiled.  
  
"What?" she asked, walking over to him. James smiled and took her hand as she stood opposite him.  
  
"I just get all fuzzy inside when you talk about wedding plans." He said in a child-like tone. Lily snorted and kissed his hand.  
  
"You should see your mother when I get talking about it. I think she's even more excited than I am." She said. James chuckled and kissed Lily across the bench.  
  
"Come on. I'm too tired to sleep now. Lets go see a movie." He said. Lily snorted.  
  
"Too tired to sleep. Yeah, that makes sense." She said. James chuckled, jumped up onto the bench, slid over it and landed in front of Lily.  
  
"Come on. Anything you want to see." He said. Lily thought for a second, before her face lit up.  
  
"Lets go see Dracula!" she said, pulling on the front of his shirt. James chuckled.  
  
"Dracula? You'd think you've had enough of vampires with all the work we did on them in Defense Against the Dark Arts." He said. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Alright, fine. What do YOU want to see?" she asked, poking him in the chest. James smirked.  
  
"More American Graffiti." He said. Lily laughed and shook her head.  
  
"You know, I really regret showing you that movie." She said. James laughed and shrugged. A while back, Lily had shown James the movie 'American Graffiti', thinking he would enjoy it. She apparently had been quiet right about this, as he had announced it to be his favorite movie of all time.  
  
"But, if you want to watch people's blood getting sucked out as opposed to teenage mischief and mayhem, you are quite welcome to." He said. Lily considered his hopeful face for a moment, before sighing in defeat.  
  
"Alright." She said, throwing her arms up in defeat. "We'll go see your bloody movie." She said smirking. James laughed and ran upstairs to get his wallet. Lily chuckled and walked back into the entrance hall to retrieve her coat and keys. She didn't bother with her purse, as she knew James was most likely going to pay. And for once, she didn't mind that he was willing to do so.  
  
"Alright, lets go." He said, running enthusiastically back down the stairs, through the kitchen area and into the entrance hall. Lily laughed, kissed him and the pair disapparated moments later.  
  
**  
  
Three hours later, James was carrying a sleeping Lily up the stairs to their bedroom. She had fallen asleep halfway through the movie and had stayed awake long enough to apparate back to Godric's Hollow.  
  
James pushed the door to their bedroom open and laid her down on the bed. As James took her shoes and jacket off, she stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Mmm, James?" she muttered. James sat down beside her.  
  
"Shh. Just go back to sleep. You're home." He said, stroking her hair. Lily muttered something incoherent and rolled over onto her stomach. James chuckled silently and rubbed her back to relax her for a few minutes.  
  
Once her breathing steadied, signalizing that she had once again drifted off, James got up, walked over to the window and sat in the armchair next to it.  
  
He sat a watched her for a few moments. Streams of moonlight were filtering through the curtains, making lines on her body and brining out her hair once more. James took his own shoes off and relaxed into the chair.  
  
He drifted off to sleep minutes later.  
  
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* A/N- Well, there it is. The first chapter. I know it didn't contain much, but it was just an introduction. I hope to get more into it in the next chapter.  
  
Any reviews will be welcome, but if you don't like it, don't complain to me. Just don't comment. Thanks! 


	2. Chapter 2

* Chapter 2! Yay. Thanks for reading so far, even thought 2 chapters isn't a lot.  
  
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Lily was hunched over her desk, writing furiously on her third piece of parchment. She blew a loose strand of hair impatiently out of her face and shook her pen again. She had found that when she had large reports to write and very little time to do them in, it was much easier to write with a pen rather than a quill.  
  
She was saved from being hit by a massive migraine, by a knock at her door.  
  
"Hey. Working hard?" Allison said, walking in without waiting to be asked in. Lily smiled up at her best friend and threw her pen down.  
  
"Nothing I can't handle. What's that?" she asked, pointing to the large paper bag in Allison's arms. She smiled and put it down on the desk in front of Lily.  
  
"Lunch. I thought we could have some together." She said. Lily sighed and leant back in her seat.  
  
"I love you. Have I told you that?" she said. Allison chuckled and pulled out two salad rolls and two bottles of coke.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't get tired of it." She said airily, handing Lily her roll. Lily seized it with enthusiasm and sat up in her chair.  
  
"So, you came all this way just to have lunch with me?" She asked, looking at what was in her roll. Allison sighed.  
  
"Well, yes and no. I'm here to interview Barty Crouch at 1:30." She said, looking at her watch. "So until then, I figured I could spend time with you." She said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Uh huh. And you wanted to discuss wedding plans." She said, taking a bite of her roll. Allison laughed.  
  
"How did you know?" she joked. Lily smiled and frowned at her best friend, who was still standing.  
  
"Sit down." She said, indicating to the chair behind the desk on the other side of the room. Allison looked at it apprehensively.  
  
"You sure?" she said, walking over to it.  
  
"Yeah. Trinity wont mind." She said. Allison smiled and took the chair.  
  
"Ah yes. The infamous Trinity who I am yet to meet." She said, sitting down opposite Lily. Lily chuckled.  
  
"She'll be back soon. And besides, did you not think you would meet one of the other bridesmaids before the wedding at least?" she asked. Allison laughed and took a sip of her drink.  
  
Trinity Marshal was the other occupant of Lily's office. In the few months that the two had known each other, they had become very close and very good friends. It was only fitting therefore that Lily asked her to be a member of her line-up in the wedding. Trinity was a few years older than Lily, but they still held much in common.  
  
"So, its good to see the Prophet getting you to do real stuff instead of all that office crap they've been giving you." Lily said, reclining in her chair and putting her feet up on the desk. Allison let out a groan.  
  
"Tell me about it. I've been ready to go in there and tell them where they can shove their office supplies. But when they asked me to do this...lets just say their safe for another day." She said, raising an eyebrow. Lily chuckled and Allison picked a bit of egg out of her roll.  
  
"So, we're going shopping next week. Dress shopping." Lily said. Allison's eyes lit up as she had half the roll in her mouth.  
  
"Dwesh shoppin'? Fimally Lirwy." She mumbled. Lily chuckled as Allison swallowed. "Who finally got your ass into gear girl?" she asked.  
  
"My mother, who else?" she said. Allison went to say something, when the door opened and someone walked into the office. Allison spun around and for the first time looked upon Lily's partner.  
  
To say this girl was pretty was an understatement. She had long, very shiny brown hair that by the looks of it went down to the small of her back. She had large, alert brown eyes and the most flawless skin Allison thought she had even seen in her life. As Trinity slowly walked over to her desk, Allison noticed that she walked with supreme confidence and determination.  
  
So far, from the minute she walked in, she had been looking at some files and had not taken her eyes off them.  
  
"Evans, have you seen this report from Arthur? He reckons that the toilets are regurgitating shit everywhere, and even the police had been covere...' she stopped abruptly as she spotted Allison in front of Lily's desk. "Oh, sorry Lily. I didn't know you had company." She said in her American accent, smiling warmly at Allison.  
  
"No, quite alright. Trinity, this is Allison Jessup, the maid of honor." Lily said, standing up. Allison stood up also and held her hand out. Trinity dropped the files as if they were of complete unimportance and seized Allison's hand.  
  
"Oh great! Awesome to meet you! I tell you, it's about friggen time too. I was beginning to wonder if there even WAS a maid of honor." She said, chuckling. Allison laughed.  
  
"Yeah. I was beginning to wonder if there was a bridal party." She said. Lily sighed and whacked Allison playfully.  
  
"Yes, alright. I've been slack. But the matter at hand is that we are going dress shopping soon. Trinity, are you free on Sunday?" she asked. Trinity blew out an amused breath through her lips.  
  
"Am I free she says. You think I'd make plans?" she asked. Lily chuckled and ran a hand through her ponytail.  
  
"Alright. Meet us at Kings cross on Sunday at 10:30. Don't be late." She said. Trinity smirked, winked at Lily and picked up her files again.  
  
"Uh huh. No probs Evans." She said and leant against her desk. Allison chuckled at Lily's defeated expression, before looking at her clock.  
  
"Bugger. Sorry Lils, I've got to go." She said. Lily sighed and nodded.  
  
"Ok. I'll ring you tonight." She said. Allison nodded and the two women kissed each other on the cheek, hugged each other and Allison turned to Trinity.  
  
"Great to meet you finally. Dreadfully sorry we couldn't talk more." She said. Trinity looked up from the papers in her hand and smiled.  
  
"Yeah. But I'll see you Sunday. We can catch up then." She said. Allison smiled, nodded to Lily and then walked out of the office.  
  
"She seemed nice." Trinity said. Lily watched the door fondly for a second, before walking back around to the other side of her desk.  
  
"She's the best." She said, sitting back down. Trinity smiled and stood up.  
  
"That's biased. But I'm sure its true." She said, walking around to the other side of her desk. Lily smiled and nodded. "How did you two first mee- AHHH!" Trinity cried and fell down on the floor with a THUMP.  
  
Lily jumped out of he seat and ran over to Trinity's desk.  
  
"Are you alright? What happened?" she asked, looking down at Trinity on the floor, her papers scattered around her.  
  
"Where'd my chair go?" she asked, looking around confused.  
  
"Oh, Allison borrowed it." She chuckled. Trinity sighed and rubbed her backside.  
  
Lily burst out laughing.  
  
**  
  
"Constant Vigilance Potter!" Moody growled. James rolled his eyes and pulled himself up from the floor.  
  
"I know Moody!" he cried impatiently. "Come on, again." He said, bracing himself. Moody considered him for a moment, before sighing and pointing his wand at him again.  
  
"Imperi...'  
  
GONG.  
  
The clock had turned over, signaling the end of the lesson. James let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.  
  
"Very well. Saved by the bell Potter. The rest of you, we'll continue this next lesson." Moody barked. The class all hurried out of the classroom, desperate to get away from their trainer incase he tried to put the Imperius curse on them too.  
  
"Good job Prongs." Sirius chuckled, catching up with James as they walked down the hallways. "I think you just about broke your arm falling down that 10th time." He said. James shoved him with his shoulder, making him stumble into the wall.  
  
"Shut-up Padfoot. Wait until he tries it on you." He said irritably. Sirius smirked.  
  
"Oh come on. No-one else has shaken it as quickly as you." He said. James simply grunted in answer. "OK then, new subject. When do we get to choose what sort of penguins we look like?" he asked. As Sirius had predicted, James cheered up.  
  
"Um, probably this weekend. There's no full moon, so Moony is cleared. And I don't think Peter is busy." He said. Sirius nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Sweet." He said. James chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
The two of them rounded a corner, went down a flight of stairs and in no time at all found themselves in the entrance hall of the ministry of magic. Sirius chuckled at the fountain in the middle of the hall.  
  
"I bet the goblins aren't happy with that statue when they see it you know." He said quietly as two goblins walked past, talking in low voices and glaring at the statue. James chuckled and threw a Galleon into it.  
  
"I know. But hey, what can you do." He said. Sirius smiled and threw a sickle into it. James smiled and continued to admire the fountain as Sirius spun around and bumped into someone.  
  
"Oh, sorry I didn't see yo...' he stopped as he looked down at Allison. "Al." he muttered. Allison looked up at him with an uncomfortable expression as James caught up with Sirius.  
  
"Allison! What are you doing here?" he asked, bending down and kissing her on the cheek. Allison came out of her daze and smiled.  
  
"I was interviewing Bartemius Crouch." She said in a dignified sort of way. James chuckled.  
  
"Good stuff. Is this your first interview?" he asked.  
  
"Second actually. But its my first important one." She said. James nodded and then there was an uncomfortable silence. Sirius had been staring at Allison for the whole time, and Allison seemed to sense this, as she looked at him, and then at her watch.  
  
"Well er, I'd better be off. I have to edit this and have it ready for tomorrow morning." She said, tapping the pocket of her robes. James nodded and elbowed Sirius in the ribs, making him grunt.  
  
"Ok. Bye Allison." He said in a voice unlike his normal one. Allison smiled weakly.  
  
"Bye James.' She said. 'Sirius." She said. There was a moment where the two of them simply stared at each other, before Allison cleared her throat and disapparated.  
  
Sirius let out the breath he didn't even realize he had been holding and ran a shaky hand through his hair.  
  
"You alright?" James asked. Sirius was silent for a moment, before he stroked his jaw.  
  
"Yeah. I'm ok." He said. But James wasn't remotely convinced.  
  
"Alright. Come on, lets go annoy Moony." He said, changing the subject.  
  
"Aren't you going to see Lily?" Sirius asked, slowly coming back to reality. James shook his head.  
  
"No. She told me just to go. So its either hang around here for another...' he looked at his watch '...4 hours, or go annoy Moony." He said, smirking. Sirius chuckled and pulled his wand out.  
  
"Moony it is then." He said. James chuckled, pulled his wand out and the two disapparated seconds later.  
  
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* A/N- Oooh, what's the go with Sirius and Allison? Stay tuned to find out!  
  
Please review! 


	3. Chapter 3

* Chapter 3! Thanks so much for your reviews guys. They're awesome!  
  
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Lily ran down the stairs on Sunday morning, attempting to tie her hair up at the same time. She jumped the last two stairs and landed with a THUMP. She jogged into the entrance hall and reached for her coat when she was startled by a grunt.  
  
"Oh James. You scared the begezzers out of me!" she said, placing a hand on her chest. James was lying on the couch with his glasses still on and papers scattered around him. He had by the looks of it, been sleeping.  
  
"Mmm, and you woke me up." He said, smirking and looking around at the papers. Lily rolled her eyes and put her jacket on.  
  
"Were you down here studying all night?" she asked, walking into the living room.  
  
"Yeah. I must have dozed off." He said, sitting up. Lily sighed and threw the curtains open, making James groan and squint against the flash of light.  
  
"Well, get up. I'm going out." She said pompously. James sniffed and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked, yawning and sitting up. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Dress shopping. I told you ages ago. Now get up." She said, and threw a cushion at him. James laughed as it hit him square in the face and made his glasses sit at a weird angle.  
  
"Alright. Go have fun." He said. Lily ran forward, kissed him and ran back towards the front door.  
  
"Love you." She said, grabbing her keys. She blew him a kiss and ran out the door, closing it hard behind her. James chuckled, looked around him and sighed.  
  
"Love you too." He muttered and flopped back down into the couch.  
  
**  
  
Lily had arrived on time, which was surprising, as she had taken public transport. She was going to meet her mother at her house, and they were going to travel to Kings Cross together. And being the fact that Lily's mother was a muggle, apparating was not an option.  
  
She had introduced Trinity to her mother, and to her relief, they had so far gotten on swimmingly. Mrs. Evans of course already knew Allison, as she and Lily had been best friends ever since their first day at Hogwarts.  
  
In the entire hour and a half they had been walking around London, the three women had visited 6 bridal shops, and so far Lily had not seen anything that she had liked.  
  
"Lily, you are far too fussy." Allison said, elbowing Lily playfully in the side. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Yeah. But then again, who knew that London held so many Bridal shops?" Trinity asked, looking around the crowed streets. Lily chuckled.  
  
"You're American. What would you know?" She said. Trinity chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"Oh, here. We haven't looked in here." Mrs. Evans said excitedly, pulling Lily sharply into a shop of their left. Lily stumbled slightly and let herself be pushed into the shop.  
  
As soon as Lily entered, she had the massive urge to roll her eyes. Every shop they had been into so far had all been basically the same. The same colored walls, the same music playing in the background, the same smell and even the same ridiculously-happy lady that asked who the bride was and offered to help.  
  
"Wow. This is nice." Allison said, looking around and running a hand through her blonde hair. Lily didn't comment.  
  
"Come on, lets go look at bridesmaids dresses chick!" Trinity said enthusiastically. She grabbed Allison by the arm and dragged her off to the specific section of the store that held all the Bridesmaids outfits. Lily had decided that as Trinity and Allison would be wearing them, they should have most of the say in the dresses they wore. Of course Lily and James made the final decisions, but the girls mostly carried out the actual process.  
  
"Funny." Mrs. Evans said, looking around the store. "There's usually a shop assistant around." She said, placing her hands on her hips, as if the very idea of her daughter not being attended to was a great insult. Lily snorted.  
  
"There will be." She muttered, also looking around.  
  
And sure enough...  
  
"Ah ladies. Forgive me, I was a little tied up in the back." Lily and the others spun around to see the shop assistant walk into the main room. Her blonde hair was tied up in a very tight bun that could put Professor McGonagall's to shame. She had very expensive looking clothes on and a lot of make-up that she must have thought was sufficient for the workplace.  
  
"That's alright." Mrs. Evans said. Allison and Trinity walked over and the four women stood in a line in front of the woman.  
  
'Well, my name is Veronica, and I'll help you fine ladies out today." She said in a perky voice. Allison and Lily exchanged a look at this woman's over-the-top perkiness. "So, I guess the next question is, which one of you is the bride?" she asked, clapping her hands together and looking at the women in front of her. Lily sighed and raised her hand.  
  
"That would be me." She said, smiling. Lily knew what would happen next, and sure enough...  
  
"Oh wonderful!" Veronica squealed, grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged her over to a small display near the entrance.  
  
"Now, when is the big day?" she asked.  
  
"Er, not for a few months. We've still got a lot to do however." She said, smiling. She looked over her shoulder at the other three women, who were looking around the shop with interest. Lily sighed and realized that Veronica was talking again.  
  
"...these came in today. Now, how about I just let you look around and you can call me if you need absolutely anything." She said, grabbing Lily's hand and smiling widely at her. Lily nodded slowly and pulled her hands out of the woman's grasp.  
  
"Yes, alright then." She said. Veronica gave her one final look of admiration, before sighing and bustling back into the back room. Lily sighed with relief and walked around, looking at various dresses.  
  
"Wow. That Veronica woman's a character." Trinity muttered, looking at a dress on the hanger. Allison snorted.  
  
"At least she wasn't all on Happy drugs like the last one." She said, looking at shoes. Trinity chuckled.  
  
"Oh and Evans, don't show too much enthusiasm next time ok?" Trinity said sarcastically as Lily walked up to her. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Hey, I'm excited. But obviously not as excited as her." She muttered, jerking her thumb at the front desk. Trinity chuckled.  
  
"Oooh, Lily! Quick!" Allison said from somewhere behind a group of shelves. Lily and Trinity exchanged a glance and walked around to where Allison was standing. She and Mrs. Evans were looking at a dress Allison was holding up. It was a simple and elegant Lavender dress with spaghetti straps. It was long and looked to go down right to the floor.  
  
"Wow. That's nice." Trinity said in an impressed tone. She walked up to Allison and ran her hand along the dress. Lily smiled as she watched her second bridesmaid admire the gown. Trinity had a look of great delight on her face.  
  
"Lils, I think its unanimous." Allison said, holding the dress up more.  
  
"Wait a minute. What about your third?" Trinity said, still looking at the dress. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Huh?" she asked. Trinity rolled her eyes.  
  
"She means Kim." She said.  
  
"Oh!" Lily said, finally understanding what Trinity meant.  
  
Kim was Lily's second cousin and third bridesmaid. And even though they were merely second cousins, they still happened to be very close. Kim was a year younger than Lily and still at school. But she was of course informed immediately of Lily's abilities, as Lily trusted her not to disclose that sort of information to anyone.  
  
"Kim's on holidays with her family in Rome right now. She said to say that anything you two say is what shall be done." Lily said in an impression of her cousin's voice. The girls chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Can we have this one then? Please?" Allison begged. Lily laughed and nodded.  
  
"Alright. If you want. But make sure these are what you want before we buy them." She said, pointing at the two girls. They exchanged a glance, looked down at the dress in Allison's hands and both nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Alright then. Hold on to that." Lily said. She smiled at her mother, turned around and began to walk back up to the counter.  
  
"Ok, I'm going to try it on." Allison said, running to the change-rooms. Lily chuckled and walked over with her.  
  
"Yeah. It's going to go great with the guy's suits. When they get around to choosing them that is." Lily said. Allison snorted.  
  
"How come they're wearing suits and not dress robes?" Trinity said, looking at other dresses.  
  
"Well, James thought it would be a good idea to keep the whole thing low- key. Many of my relatives don't know that I'm a...well you know." Lily muttered. Trinity nodded. Lily cleared her throat and looked at Allison.  
  
"So, that dress is going to go well with Sirius." She said carefully. Allison, who was just about to step into the change-rooms, paused.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." She muttered. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"This is dumb. Why cant you just go talk to him?" she whispered.  
  
"Because, I have nothing to say to him." Allison said stubbornly. Lily frowned.  
  
"You are Maid of Honor, and that means that sooner or later you and the Best Man, which happens to be Sirius Black are going to have to talk." She said. Allison sighed.  
  
"Well, until that time, I'll be perfectly happy not seeing him." She said, looking away from Lily.  
  
"But...'  
  
"Can you please drop it?" Allison said, looking at Lily pleadingly. Lily considered her for a moment, before sighing.  
  
"Fine. Go try that dress on." She said, waving her hand at the change-room. Allison smiled, kissed Lily on the cheek and walked in, closing the curtain behind her. Lily watched it for a moment, before running a hand through her hair and walking up to the desk.  
  
"Great! This dress is wicked. This is bound to knock the socks off everyone." Trinity said, looking at the curtain that his Allison. Mrs. Evans chuckled.  
  
"Now now, the attention is meant to be on the bride." She said, looking at other wedding gowns. Allison let out a laugh through her lips.  
  
"Ha! Lily gets enough attention already. She's taken, and its up to us single girls to get the hot boys attention.' She said. Trinity chuckled.  
  
"Yeah. Evans, I think that you...' Trinity trailed off as she saw Lily standing near the desk, looking up at something with wide-eyes. Trinity raised an eyebrow and walked over to her. 'Er, Lily? What are you looking...' Trinity stopped abruptly as she spotted what Lily had been staring at.  
  
It was a wedding dress, and it was the most beautiful wedding dress Lily had seen so far. The top half was in the shape of a corset, and it had straps that sat just below the shoulders, giving off a good view of a neckline. The bottom half of the dress was puffed out, but not too much to be ugly. It had discrete stars made out of glitter running around it in a straight line, as if it were a cosmic belt. The entire garment was perfect.  
  
"Oh, Lily." Mrs. Evans said as she and Allison walked up to her. "Its...'  
  
"...perfect." Allison finished. Lily simply gazed up at it.  
  
"Lils, that's the one." Trinity said, running her hand along it. Lily looked it up and down, still not saying anything. Mrs. Evans chuckled as she looked at Lily's expression. She could tell that Lily wanted it...and badly.  
  
"Get it honey." She said, rubbing Lily's arm. Lily sighed and stepped closer to it.  
  
"Yeah. And plus, it goes well with us!" Allison said, spinning in a circle. The women spun around to see Allison on the dress that she had picked out. It fitted her well, even if it was a little long. Lily smiled at Allison, and then turned back to the dress.  
  
"Its does actually. Wow. Who would have thought that THIS store would have everything we wanted.' Trinity said. "So Evans, are you getting it?" she asked. Lily looked at the price tag, before sighing.  
  
"No." she said simply and stepped away from it. Allison looked at her with horror.  
  
"What? Are you insane? Why the bloody hell not?" she asked. She stepped past Lily and poked at the price. "Jeepers." She muttered. Lily nodded grimly.  
  
"Yeah. So, take that dress off and we'll get it resized. Trinity, I'll need your...'  
  
"Wait a minute! Don't tell me your just going to walk away from this dress." Allison said outraged. Lily sighed.  
  
"Yes, I am. I can't afford that." She said, pointing at the dress behind Allison.  
  
"Lily, are you forgetting that you're about to marry one of the most wealthiest wizards in Britain?" Allison asked.  
  
"Shh, Allison keep your voice down." Mrs. Evans said, looking around to make sure no-one was listening. But the two girls ignored her.  
  
"Yes, I'm aware of that. What's your point?" Lily asked, folding her arms over her chest defiantly. Allison rolled her eyes.  
  
"So, just ask James if he can...'  
  
"No." Lily said, cutting Allison off firmly. "No, I don't want to have to ask James for that dress." She said.  
  
"But you want it. I can tell." She said. Lily looked at the dress again, before sighing.  
  
"No. And that's final. We'll just go look somewhere else. Now take that off so we can work out details." Lily said, pointing at the change rooms. Allison frowned at Lily for a second, before sighing.  
  
"Alright. I'll be a second." She said, and walked back behind the curtain.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, before Lily gave the dress one last look and walked up to the desk, looking for Veronica. Trinity ran a hand through her long hair and let out a low breath.  
  
"She really wants that." She muttered to Mrs. Evans, jerking her thumb at the dress behind her. Mrs. Evans nodded and looked at her daughter.  
  
"I know. And she's too stubborn to ask for it. She's like her father." She said, smirking. Trinity chuckled and Allison emerged minutes later, carrying the dress carefully in her arms. She walked up beside Lily and laid the dress down on the counter.  
  
"I'm...I'm sorry. For being pushy." Allison said. Lily chuckled and kissed Allison on the shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry for being pushy too." She said. Allison smiled and went to say something, when Veronica ran out, looking excited.  
  
"Oh, so we've picked a Bridesmaids dress?" she asked, looking down at the dress. Allison and Lily exchanged another look, before turning back to Veronica.  
  
*******  
  
"And where are you going?" Sirius asked, looking at Remus from the couch. Remus, who had just reached for his jacket and was about to walk out the door rolled his eyes and whacked Sirius's legs.  
  
"I'm going to see Dumbledore, idiot. I told you this morning I had a meeting with him." He said, zipping up his jacket. Sirius snorted and turned the page in his book.  
  
"Moony, you don't have to lie to me. I know you're off to shag some girl. You sly wolf you." He said, giving Remus a very obvious wink. Remus took no notice of this statement and reached for his keys.  
  
"I'll be back around midnight at the latest." He said. Sirius nodded and looked back down at his book.  
  
"Ok. I won't wait up." He said. Remus chuckled, called goodbye one last time and walked out of the house.  
  
Sirius and Remus shared a small cabin type house just on the outskirts of the city. It was quite the bachelor pad. There were bottles of Buterbeer and empty Chocolate Frog boxes everywhere. They had also recently taken a fierce liking to Chinese take-out, and therefore there were empty boxes all over the kitchen bench.  
  
Sirius sighed, stretched his long legs out and relaxed more into the couch. It was surprisingly comfortable, as it was nearly as old as he was. He tuned out the sound of rain that was now falling rather hard. The sound of thunder could be heard faintly in the distance and lightning was periodically lighting up the room.  
  
Just as Sirius was getting engrossed into his book, the doorbell rang. Sirius sighed, got up and walked over to the door. He looked at his watch before opening it. It wasn't too late, but Sirius sure wasn't expecting anyone.  
  
He opened the door and looked down at the last person he expected to see. He looked down at her and his insides flipped over.  
  
"Allison."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
* A/N- well, there we go. I hope this chapter gave a few insights as to how Lily and James's wedding is to be run.  
  
Please review. 


	4. Chapter 4

*Chapter 4! Thanks for reading so far guys. You all rock my world!  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"Allison." Sirius muttered. He leant against the door and just stared down at her, as if making sure she was really there. It was only until she spoke however, did he actually realized she was soaked.  
  
"Um Sirius, can I come in?" she asked, shivering and pulling on her wet hair. Sirius jumped and stood up straight.  
  
"Of course. Sorry, come in out of the rain." He said, standing aside. Allison smiled up weakly in thanks and crossed the threshold. Sirius closed the door behind her and guided her into the living room. "Um, wait here. I'll get you a blanket or something." He muttered. He ran a hand through his hair and walked out of the room.  
  
Allison shook her wet hair slightly with her hand and looked around. She smirked as she noticed the state of the place. She hadn't really expected anything better from Sirius and Remus. They were both rather messy.  
  
"Here." Sirius said, walking back into the room carrying a large blanket. Allison took it, smiled weakly in thanks and wrapped it around her. She immediately felt much more comfortable. Sirius sighed and indicated for Allison to sit down. She did so on the couch behind her and Sirius made himself comfortable opposite her in a large leather armchair.  
  
There was a few minutes silence filled only by the occasional roll of thunder in the distance, before Allison finally spoke.  
  
"So, I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here." She said, wrapping the blanket around her tighter. Sirius sighed and leant forward. Allison took a deep breath.  
  
"You could say that." He said, smirking. She sniffed and looked at him in the eye.  
  
"Look, the fact that your Best Man, and I'm Maid of Honor means that eventually, we are going to have to converse. Ergo, the reason for me being here is this." She said. Sirius was on the edge of his seat.  
  
"I want a temporary truce between us." She stated firmly. Sirius was rather disappointed by the word 'temporary', but he hid it and stayed silent. "I do not want Lily and James's wedding ruined by our...personal issues." She said. Sirius nodded.  
  
"I agree." He said. Allison sighed and squeezed the tip of her nose.  
  
"Good." She stated flatly. Sirius watched her for a moment. A bolt of lightning flashed through the room, illuminating her face. She looked to be on the verge of saying something, but she seemed to think better of it.  
  
"Look er, did you want some hot chocolate?" Sirius asked, getting up. Allison stood up also.  
  
"No, thanks anyway. I'd better go. I only came to tell you...'  
  
"Al, come on. You're soaked. Have something warm." He said. Allison considered him for a moment, before sighing and looking at the floor.  
  
"Sure. 2 sugars and..." She said.  
  
"...And marshmallows." Sirius finished. Allison smiled and Sirius walked into the kitchen. She watched him fuss around with the cupboards for a moment, before wrapping the blanket around her tighter and following him into the next room.  
  
"So, I hear you and Lillian went dress shopping yesterday." He said, heating the milk in the saucepan with his wand. Allison sat down at the small, round dining table.  
  
"Yeah. We got our bridesmaids dresses. Lily however, is being bloody stubborn and wont pick anything." She said. Sirius chuckled and summoned a pair of mugs from the bench.  
  
"Ah well, Lily is a fiery little one." He said. Allison smiled and watched his back. He had his tightly fitting pajama top on, and she could see his muscles working underneath it. She shook herself and looked at the table.  
  
"Yeah. But if she doesn't get over it, she's going to be walking down the isle in her underwear." She said. Sirius laughed and went to the cupboard. He reached in and pulled out a packet of something.  
  
"Marshmallows." He announced happily, showing her the bag. Allison gave him an 'are-you-trying-to-impress-me' look, but he merely shrugged and added a few to their hot chocolate. He placed Allison's mug in front of her. He sat down opposite her, blew into his mug to cool it down and he took a small sip.  
  
"So, have you got your suits yet?" she asked. Sirius knew that she wasn't really that concerned just by her tone. She was simply making conversation.  
  
"No, not yet. But trust me, James WILL have a suit. I refuse to let the whole world be blinded as a result of seeing him in his underwear." He said. Allison snorted into her mug and chuckled. Sirius smiled at her. "I love making you smile." He said. Allison suddenly looked uncomfortable.  
  
"Sirius, don't start." She said, putting her mug down.  
  
"What did I say wrong?" he asked. Allison rolled her eyes.  
  
"You know perfectly well. Don't start getting all mushy just because I'm putting my pride aside for a few weeks." She said. Her tone was sharp and it made Sirius frown.  
  
"I can't help it if I'm naturally charming." He said, leaning back in his chair and smirking at her. But his attempts to lighten her mood failed miserably.  
  
"Well maybe you should learn to!" she snapped angrily. "Otherwise me might still be together." She said, glaring at him.  
  
"Allison, how many time do I have to say that I..."  
  
"No, forget it." She said flatly. She stood up, tossed the blanket off her shoulders and stepped away from the table. The sudden hit of cold air against her drenched clothes made her flinch.  
  
"Thanks for the drink. I'll see you around." She said sharply. And before Sirius could even get up, she had stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Sirius sighed and watched her untouched drink of hot chocolate slowly go cold. Finally, the sound of thunder broke him out of his daze. He screwed up his face and let his forehead hit the table with a THUMP.  
  
"Smooth Padfoot. Real smooth." He muttered.  
  
**  
  
"Right, so the dresses are being...'  
  
"...tailored as we speak."  
  
"Ok, and the cake arrangements...'  
  
"...will be sorted out tomorrow.'  
  
"Smashing. Alright, and the reception...'  
  
"...is being sorted. We're getting brochures in a few days."  
  
James looked at Lily next to him and smiled.  
  
"What WOULD I do without you?" he asked. Lily chuckled and leant over to kiss him.  
  
"You'd be screwed." She said simply. James chuckled and looked down at the clipboard in his hand.  
  
"Ok, 'Not being screwed'...check." He said, pretending to tick off a box. Lily laughed and kicked him playfully.  
  
The two of them were sitting on the floor in front of the fire with scattered pieces of paper and various magazines surrounding them. Lily had her legs resting in James's cross-legged lap.  
  
"Right. That's everything immediate taken care of. Who would have guessed all this planning took so much...well, planning." He said. Lily smiled and turned a page of the Daily Prophet, lighting flashing into the room.  
  
"Its half the fun darling." She said, not taking her eyes off the paper. James snorted and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Maybe for you it is. I've got Granddad on my back about how to be a good husband. 'It's the mans job to provide for the woman...don't let her control you...let her know who's boss...blah blah blah." He said. Lily looked up at him with horror.  
  
"I didn't think your grandfather was THAT chauvinistic." She said. James chuckled.  
  
"He's not. He's just messin' with me. I think." He said, smirking. Lily chuckled and sighed.  
  
"James, when are you...'  
  
"Wednesday arvo." He said, cutting Lily off. He already knew she was asking about when he was going to try out suits. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Good. Because you know you have to at least LOOK like your trying to be prettier than me." She said. James laughed.  
  
"What's that meant to mean?" he said. Lily smiled and closed the paper.  
  
"The Groom's just there to make the Bride look good. Everyone knows that." She said in a superior tone. James smirked.  
  
"Oh yeah?" he said, grabbing her foot and tickling it.  
  
"James! Stop it!" Lily laughed, squirming and trying to get away from him. James let her go long enough for her to get up and run into the kitchen. James got up with lightning speed and chased her into the next room. She bolted up the stairs, ran into the bathroom and locked the door.  
  
"Ha!" Lily shouted at the door. James banged on it.  
  
"Let me in you tease!" he called playfully. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Be gone scurvy pirate!" she called back through the keyhole. She listened and sighed, as there was silence. Suddenly, she heard a 'pop' behind her. And before she had time to turn around properly, James walked forward and pinned her against the door, his arms on either side of her.  
  
"You shit!" she chuckled. "That's cheating." She said. James smirked and leant close to her, their noses touching.  
  
"Scurvy pirate am I, wench?" he said. Lily smirked and kissed him very lightly.  
  
"That you are good sir." She whispered. James leant in and closed the distance between them. Lily felt a tingle surge throughout her entire body as James kissed her very passionately indeed. He pulled back just as she was getting into it and smiled down at her.  
  
"You may take my body sir, but you shall never have my heart. For it belongs to another." She said. James chuckled.  
  
"Oh well, we cant have everything." He joked. Lily laughed and James kissed her again.  
  
Before either one of them could comprehend where it had come from, a massive wave of heat and passion passed over the two of them. James ran his hands along her body, desperate to feel her beneath him. Lily ran her hands along his back, pulling him closer. James let his body take over and ground his pelvis into her, making the both of them moan with the pleasure of it.  
  
Suddenly, James's senses seemed to fly back to him and he very hastily pushed himself away from Lily and stood on the other side of the bathroom.  
  
The two of them stood there panting for a moment, occasional rolls of thunder the only sound being made, before James swallowed and ran a shaky hand through his hair, his Adam's apple sticking out prominently.  
  
"I...I'm sorry." He muttered. Lily shook her head.  
  
"No, it wasn't just you." She whispered. James looked at her. His body was screaming at him to get back over to her and finish what they were staring, but his head, fortunately for him, was in control.  
  
"I'm er, going to Mum and Dads. I'll be back in a few hours." He said. Lily nodded, understanding his reasons. He blew her a kiss and vanished again with a 'pop'.  
  
Lily leant hard against the door and let out a long breath, her composure falling away. She slowly unlocked the door and proceeded to make her way down the hall and to the bedroom.  
  
Her entire body was still reeling from what had just happened. Where had THAT come from? She flopped down on the bed and closed her eyes. She could still taste him on her lips.  
  
She wondered what his parents would say with him turning up and 9 o'clock at night for no reason. Of course, he wouldn't tell them the real reason. That would be far too embarrassing.  
  
James and Lily had made a promise to each other that they would not make love until their wedding night. And so far, that had been going rather well. But sometimes, like just now, the sexual tension between them became increasingly strong. And so that they could make sure that they didn't go any further, one of them would leave and go somewhere else, leaving the other at the house so that they could both calm down.  
  
It was, Lily thought, a very good plan. But she was beginning to wonder how much will-power the both of them possessed. Because James was a very sexy man.  
  
Lily crawled up into the bed properly and propped herself up against the bed head. She pulled her legs up to her and let her knee's lean against each other. She reached for her wand and pointed it at the small radio on the other side of the room.  
  
"Flipendo." She said, and the switch moved and the radio turned on.  
  
Lily dropped her wand at her side, closed her eyes and relaxed as much as she could. Her body was slowly calming down as she listened to the Beatles.  
  
She sat there for hours, trying desperately not to think of the feeling of James against her.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
* A/N – well, there you have it. In case any of you were wondering about the R rating I put on this, I did it to be sure. I'm putting a bit of swearing in it and maybe some sex situations later.  
  
Please review! 


	5. Chapter 5

* Well, here we are at chapter 5. Please let me know if this is going to slow, as I shall speed it up for you.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Allison came to see you? By herself?" James whispered amazed to Sirius. Sirius nodded and took more notes off the board.  
  
"I know. I was as shocked at you are." He whispered back. James blew out air through his lips and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
The two men were sitting in the classroom and were currently taking notes on how best to counter attacks from ranging from many different angles and intensities. They were sitting at the back of the class, which gave them a good opportunity to talk.  
  
"What did she want?" James whispered, dipping his quill in the inkpot.  
  
"Nothing much. I didn't really get a chance to talk to her. She stormed out on me." Sirius said sadly. James looked at his best friend and sighed.  
  
"This is getting ridiculous." James said, slightly outraged. Sirius chuckled and began writing a new paragraph.  
  
"Tell me about it. I mean, how many times to I have to tell her that I didn't do anything?" he asked. James nodded.  
  
"I know." He said. Sirius looked up at James with big eyes.  
  
"You...believe me don't you?" he whispered. James snorted.  
  
"Of course I do Padfoot." He said, patting Sirius on the arm. Sirius let out a sigh of relief and smiled.  
  
"Good. Because I wouldn't do that to her." He said. James nodded.  
  
"I know mate. I really do." He said. Sirius chuckled bitterly.  
  
"Yeah. But I wish she did as well."  
  
"POTTER AND BLACK!" Moody roared. James and Sirius jumped so high that they nearly ruined their entire work. "May you please share with the rest of us what you think is more important than staying alive against Death Eaters?" he challenged, looking at them sternly. The entire class had turned around in their seats to look at them. James snorted, knowing that Sirius was bound so say something dumb.  
  
"Women Sir. Isn't it obvious?" Sirius said, leaning back in his chair and smirking. The entire class laughed, but stopped instantly as Moody gave them all a very deadly glare.  
  
"Black, if your ever lasting need for women is going to distract you in a serious situation, I will put you on to a very good medi-wizard who specializes in CASTRATION!" Moody retorted angrily. Sirius swallowed and looked at Moody with fear.  
  
"Didn't think so. Get back to work. Both of you." He barked irritably and the two men.  
  
James and Sirius glanced at each other, before they snorted and went back to work, both of them shaking with suppressed laughter.  
  
***  
  
James and Lily walked into a small shop in the middle of London and were immediately hit by the mouth-watering smell of freshly baked cakes wafting over them from somewhere out the back.  
  
"Oh man. How about we just stand here all day. Can I stand here all day?" Lily asked, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. James chuckled and did the same.  
  
"Oh yeah. Lets sell our house and move in here. I can definitely see it happening." He said. Lily moaned in agreement and inhaled again.  
  
He two of them stood there for a few moments, just enjoying the smell of warm, fresh cakes until...  
  
"Ah, Mr. Potter I presume." Came a smooth voice. James and Lily jumped and their eyes flew open. James looked down at the frail old man in front of him and smiled.  
  
"Yes. You must be Mr. Lawson. Smashing to meet you." James said, shaking the old man's hand. Lily looked between them with interest. She had not known that James had been looking around at bakers yet, and she suddenly began to wonder what else he was up to.  
  
"And this must be your lovely fiancé." He said, looking at Lily with a smile. Lily nodded and shook his hand also. "Lovely. Well Sir, I have prepared some samples for you to try. If you shall just walk this way." He said, and limped off slowly, leaning against his cane.  
  
James smirked, shrugged and began to limp as well. Lily snorted and hit James. He chuckled and resumed walking normally.  
  
They were lead into a new room that had the look of a restaurant dining room, except it was much smaller. It consisted of only 3 tables and each of them was covered with a white silk tablecloth, and a bunch of flowers in the center.  
  
"Please, take a seat here and I shall go retrieve the samples." Mr. Lawson said, waving his frail old hand at the nearest table.  
  
"Thanks." Lily said, as James rushed forward and pulled a seat out for her. She smiled lovingly at him and sat down. "And when were you planning on telling me you had already organized cake samples Mr. Evans?" she asked as James sat down next to her. He chuckled and took her hand.  
  
"About 10 seconds ago." He said. Lily snorted.  
  
"Now, you have told me that you are going against the traditional fruitcake." Mr. Lawson said, walking back to the table. He sat down heavily across from them.  
  
"Yeah. We er, don't care much for fruitcake." Lily said. James screwed his face up in distaste and Mr. Lawson wheezed out a laugh.  
  
"Very well. We therefore have prepared some chocolate cake, carrot cake and plain sponge-cake with all the trimmings." He said. He clicked his fingers in the air and about 9 plates; each baring different cake types was brought out by young waiters and chefs.  
  
"Wow." James muttered. Lily nodded in complete agreement as the plates were placed in front of them, each one looking as delicious as the next.  
  
For the next 20 minutes, Lily and James slowly went through the different samples. Each one possessed their own unique yet fabulous flavor.  
  
"Mmm, Lil, twy thish ome." James mumbled, his mouth full with cake. Lily chuckled and opened her mouth as James fed her a small piece of mud-cake. Lily's eyes rolled in delight and she moaned.  
  
"Mmm, oh! Ok, what's this one?" she said, pointing at the cake in front of them. Mr. Lawson chuckled.  
  
"That's our newest recipe. Many of the female staff have come to call it, 'Seduction'." He said, chucking. Lily snorted and James broke of another bit.  
  
"Mmm. How much?" he asked. Mr. Lawson smiled and showed James the price menu. Lily choked and coughed.  
  
"Oh my god! That's...'  
  
'...fine. We'll take this one." James said slightly louder, cutting Lily off. She looked at him with wide eyes, but he simply continued to smile at the old man in front of him.  
  
"Very well. I wont be moment. I get you some designs." He said. He gingerly stood up, leant heavily on his cane and limped out of the room. As soon as they were alone, Lily turned to James.  
  
"Are you insane? That's highway robbery!" she whispered. James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Its what?" he asked.  
  
"It's a muggle expression. Oh never mind, the point is its far too much money!" she said, looking around to make sure no-one was listening. "Just because galleons turn out nearly double when converted into muggle money, does not mean that...'  
  
'...that we cant splurge? That I can't give my Bride everything she wants?" he asked, looking slightly put out. Lily deflated slightly. "Why, if you want it so badly, will you not allow me to get it for you?" he asked. Lily considered him for a moment, before sighing.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I just...I hear men complain all the time about how their wives spend up all their money and they get all upset about it and...I guess I didn't want it to be like that with us." She said, not looking him in the eyes. James chuckled and kissed her hand.  
  
"Lils, I want you to have what-ever you want. And sure, I'm against you sending me totally bankrupt but trust me...you would have to do a LOT of spending to do that." He said, looking her in the eye. She smiled and he kissed her.  
  
"Besides,' he said, taking another piece of the cake and looking at it fondly, 'this is WAY too nice to pass up." He said, stuffing it in his mouth. Lily laughed and smeared icing on his chin, making it look like he had a goatee. James chuckled and wiped icing across the top of her lip, giving her a moustache.  
  
Lily dipped her finger in the nearest pink icing and was about to smear it on his face, when...  
  
"Ahem."  
  
James and Lily both jumped and looked at the amused face of Mr. Lawson, standing the doorway.  
  
"Have sir and madam made a decision?" he asked, looking at them with great amusement. James and lily looked at each-other and snorted.  
  
"Yeah. We'll take this one." James said, pointing at the now completely eaten mud-cake. Mr. Lawson nodded and Lily wiped the pink icing all down the bridge of James's nose.  
  
"Yeah. Sounds good to me." She said.  
  
***  
  
"Moony, hold it still!" Sirius panted, throwing another punch. Remus stumbled as Sirius continued beating the living daylights out of the punching bag.  
  
"I am. Stop beating the shit out of it!" he said irritably. Sirius bobbed on the balls of his feet, took a step back, swung around and kicked the bag again. Remus flinched considerably.  
  
"For fucks sake Moony, stop doing that!" Sirius snapped angrily and threw another punch. Remus stumbled again.  
  
"Padfoot, what's up with you tonight?" he asked, frowning down at his best friend.  
  
"Nothing." Sirius growled, glaring at the bag. He raised his arm to swing at it again, but seemed to think better of it. He sighed, grabbed the bag with both hands and rested his forehead against it, breathing hard.  
  
"Nothing huh?" he said, looking at Sirius with concern. Sirius took a deep breath, wiped sweat of his bare chest and turned his back to Remus.  
  
"Drop it Remus." He said, looking out the window. Remus sighed and let go of the bag.  
  
"Does this have anything to do with Allison?" he asked.  
  
SMASH.  
  
Remus jumped as the windows of the basement smashed simultaneously, causing the cold night air to flood into the room. Remus looked at Sirius with amazement. He was bent over, leaning on his hands. His shoulders were slowly moving up and down, as if her were trying very hard to calm down. Remus noticed how tense the muscles in his shoulders were.  
  
"Sirius...' he began. He walked up to Sirius and sat down next to him. He was rather concerned. Sirius hadn't made anything blow up since he was little, and even if he did, it was only because he was very upset about something.  
  
"I'm sorry Moony." Sirius muttered. His head was still sagging.  
  
"Its alright. Come on, sit down and tell me what's going on." He said. Sirius remained where he was for a moment, before he sighed and finally stood up straight. He sat down heavily on the mats on the basement floor and crossed his legs.  
  
"Ok. Its IS about Allison." He said. Remus smiled.  
  
"Yes, I gathered that." He said. Sirius smiled, but still looked at the floor. Remus leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees.  
  
"She still doesn't believe that I didn't sleep with that girl." He said. Remus swallowed, but stayed silent. "I don't know how many fucking times I have to tell her that I didn't!" Sirius growled. Remus sensed him getting tense again and to save more things blowing up, he got down on the floor with Sirius.  
  
"Well, I guess you have to see it from her point of view. I mean, finding your boyfriend sleeping naked next to an equally naked girl WOULD be rather upsetting." He said softly. Sirius growled slightly.  
  
"But I don't know how it happened! I just...don't remember." He said, putting a hand against his forehead. "Isn't there some way I can show her? Come on brainiac, cant you think of something?" he asked, looking up at Remus for the first time. Remus sighed and stroked his small stubble with his thumb.  
  
"Well, I would suggest a Pensieve, but since you cant remember anything...' he trailed off, feeling he didn't need to point out the obvious. Sirius sighed and let his shoulders sag in defeat.  
  
"I know I wouldn't have cheated on her Moony. I know it." He said. Remus rubbed his bare shoulder in comfort for a few moments, before he sighed and stood up.  
  
"Come on Padfoot. Lets go get the boys and get pissed." He said, holding out his hand. Sirius chuckled, took his hand let Remus help him up.  
  
"Moony, that's how I got in this mess in the first place." He said. Remus chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"How about we get high on caffeine then?" he said. Sirius smiled and reached for his shirt.  
  
"Ok. I'll get Prongs, you get Wormtail." He said. Remus chuckled.  
  
"Sure thing." He said. Sirius smiled, ran a hand through his hair and looked at the broken pieces of glass on the floor around them.  
  
"Sorry about that." He said. Remus smiled, took his wand out and sent the pieces of glass back into the frame.  
  
"Not to worry. It's your basement too." He said. Sirius smiled and Remus pushed him up the stairs. "Come on. We'd better do this soon. We've got to get up early tomorrow so we can go shopping." He said. Sirius laughed.  
  
"Oh yes. We must pick out our outfits for the wedding. We simply can't go looking like schlemiels." He said over his shoulder in a feminine voice.  
  
Remus laughed and the two of them made their way back up into the house.  
  
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* A/N - So kiddies, how is it so far? Any good? Let me know.  
  
Please review! 


	6. Chapter 6

* Welcome to chapter 6! Thanks for all your reviews! You're awesome!  
  
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"Peter, stand still for Merlin's sake." James chuckled. Peter flinched again as the tailor's hand went up his leg.  
  
"Yeah, well unlike Padfoot, I'm not very comfortable with guy's hands repeatedly making their way up my leg." He said, looking down at the tailor. Sirius chuckled and stretched out his legs.  
  
"Oh Wormtail. I thought you'd be used to it by now. What with you an your boyfriend getting all chummy and...'  
  
"Shut up." Peter snapped irritably. James and Sirius snorted as Remus sat down next to Sirius.  
  
The four men were finally getting fitted for their suits. And even though they had not picked anything out yet, they had decided to get their measurements before hand to save time.  
  
"So men, what are we looking at here? Tails? Cummerbunds?" James asked, tapping his knees and standing up. Sirius and Remus gave each-other a look and they both put a finger to their chins in thought.  
  
"Hmm, maybe some lace...' Sirius said, looking at James through one eye.  
  
"And some beads. Diamonds are good." Remus said.  
  
"Guys come on...' James chuckled, rolling his eyes.  
  
"And maybe a nice light blue sash." Sirius continued, getting up and walking over to James. 'It could run all the way along here." He said, running his hand across James chest. James sighed as Remus stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Oh yes. And a tiara. A nice, pretty silver one to bring out the frames of his glasses." He said in a feminine voice.  
  
"Don't forget the pearl earrings!" Peter called, still standing on the stool with the tailor.  
  
"Alright! Shut the hell up and look around at suits. Dickheads." James chuckled. Sirius kissed James on the cheek and walked off happily to look at a nearby display. James rolled his eyes, wiped his cheek and walked over to Remus.  
  
"So, in all seriousness. Are you open to anything?" James asked. Remus smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yep. It's all up to you." He said. James smirked and looked at a suit on his left.  
  
"This is nice." He said, walking up to it. "But I don't like the vest." He said, frowning. Remus nodded and cocked his head to the side.  
  
The tuxedo was pitch black and it had a purple sort of tie and an equally purple vest. James frowned and looked around.  
  
"Reckon we can mix it?" he said. Sirius came back and looked at the suit also.  
  
"Don't see why not. I reckon they'd jump off a bridge for you, considering the amount you're willing to pay." Sirius said. James laughed and ran his hand along one of the jackets on display.  
  
"Well, in that case...' he said and jogged off. Peter walked past him and started looking at shirts. Remus smiled at Peter's expression, as it was pretty obvious he was extremely grateful to be away from the tailor.  
  
"You know, maybe getting dressed up wont be THAT bad." Sirius said, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. Remus nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I haven't worn a suit since my Aunt's wedding. And even then I was only 7." He said. Sirius chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
Just then, James came running back up to them carrying a pile of clothes and looking very pleased with himself.  
  
"Right Sirius. Time to get naked." He said. Sirius looked at him in horror.  
  
"What? Why me?" he asked. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"Because, you're the same physique as me, and I want to look at what this looks like on you." He said, handing Sirius half of his load. Sirius took them off James reluctantly. James smiled broadly at Remus and Sirius, before practically skipping off to the change-rooms with his load.  
  
Remus and Sirius looked at each other with amazement.  
  
"You know, if he wasn't about to marry Lily, I'd seriously wonder about him." Sirius said, following James to the change-rooms. Remus laughed and beckoned Peter over so they could wait.  
  
They waited for only a few minutes, before Sirius stepped out of the change- room with the same style of walk as a supermodel. Peter snorted and Remus wolf-whistled at him.  
  
"Looking sharp Padfoot." He said, standing up. Sirius sighed and straightened his tie.  
  
"Yeah, I know." He said airily. Remus smiled and looking at the suit.  
  
Like the one James had been looking at before, it was pitch black. The jacket and pants fit Sirius very well. Sirius took the jacket off to show Remus what was underneath. It was a simple vest with the back-half black and the front-half a marble sort of pattern completely gold. The shirt was white and the tie was a traditional black, tuxedo bow tie.  
  
"I like it. You like it?" Remus said, running his hand along Sirius back. Sirius nodded and put his hands in the pockets.  
  
"Mm hmm. Prongs, come out here and show us what you look like." Sirius called over his shoulder. There was a moment's silence, before the door of James's cubicle swung open and the guy's mouths dropped open.  
  
Although it was the same outfit as Sirius's, it seemed to complement James much more. The suit fitted him rather loosely, but it still looked amazing. James's hair was actually lying in a respectable way, but it somehow looked weird, as if the whole idea of him having perfectly groomed hair was just plain stupid.  
  
James shut the door behind him and tugged nervously on the bottom of the jacket.  
  
"So, comments?" he muttered. Remus shook himself and Sirius laughed in amazement.  
  
"James, I think you've found your suit." Peter said. James smiled and walked to the full-length mirror. He turned at different angles and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"Yeah. Not bad eh?" he said. Sirius snorted and stood next to him. They both looked at themselves and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I think this will do just fine James." Sirius said. James nodded and Sirius looked around. "Where's the bloke? Oi! Clothes assistant man!" he called out. Remus snorted and Peter walked off to find someone.  
  
"Hmm, and imagine what you'll look like OUT of that suit." Came a new voice. The three men spun around and James stumbled with surprise.  
  
"Lily! What are you doing here?" he asked, looking down at her with amazement. Lily chuckled, but continued to look at James.  
  
"Well, I got off early today and I thought I would come see how things are going." She said. She ran a hand along James chest and began to walk around to the back of him. "Clearly things are going well." She whispered softly in his ear. James chuckled nervously as Lily's hand continued to run around his torso.  
  
"Lily, you realize we're in public don't you?" he said, referring to her very seductive hand movements. Lily laughed and looked at Remus and Sirius.  
  
"Bugger off and let me swoon over my fiancé." She said, smirking. Remus laughed, put his hands up in defeat and began backing away. Sirius however, looked at her with mock horror.  
  
"Lillian Evans soon-to-be Potter, I'm shocked and appalled." He said. "Besides, look at me. I'm the prettier one here." He said, holding his hands out. Lily smiled, let go of James and looked at Sirius with interest.  
  
"I like them though. And as a side note, bow down at my feet as I am psychic!" she said, waving her hands in admiration for herself. James snorted.  
  
"Huh?" he asked. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Nothing." She said, still looking at Sirius. When she had said that Allison's dress would go well with Sirius, she didn't actually expect that to be the case. But if this was the suit that they were going to wear, then apparently she was very right.  
  
"Well er, I'll get changed and go find the shop man shall I?" Sirius said, noticing Lily's obvious need to talk to James alone. Remus grunted as Sirius elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Um yeah. And I'll go...stand with Peter." He said, looking around. The two of them smiled at Lily and James for a moment, before they both went their separate ways. Lily waited until Sirius walked into the changing cubicle, before she grabbed his arm and dragged him into a cubicle. She pushed him against the wall, shut the door behind her, locked it and them leant against it, her hair now coming out of his nice bun. James snorted.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" he whispered, looking both amused and scared. Lily smirked evilly and ran her hand along his chest.  
  
"Have I expressed how much I like this suit?" she whispered huskily. James's eyes widened.  
  
"Lily, are you trying to seduce me or something?" he said. Lily smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck and fiddled with the hairs at the base of his neck.  
  
"What if I am?" she said softly. James was at a loss for words as she kissed him softly.  
  
"Lily, we are in a formal suit shop. We can't make out in a cubicle." He said, laughing nervously. Lily stuck her bottom lip out.  
  
"Then you shouldn't look do bloody sexy." She said. James ran a hand through his hair, trying desperately to keep his composure.  
  
"Lily, are you trying to cause us to break our promise?" he whispered. Lily backed off a little.  
  
"No. I just missed you is all." She said, kissing him softly along his jaw- line. James smiled.  
  
"That's ok. But I don't think Sirius wants to hear us making out." He said. Lily stopped mid-kiss and looked up at him in horror.  
  
"What?" she asked. "Is he...'  
  
"Oh, don't stop on my account." Came Sirius's voice from the next cubicle. Lily suddenly went bright red and backed away from James as much as the little cubicle would allow.  
  
"Oh Sirius, I'm sorry." She called. James smiled as Sirius stuck his head over the wall.  
  
"No problem at all love. I'm changed anyway, so feel free to continue." He said. Lily laughed nervously and put her face in her hands at the sound of Sirius exiting the cubicle next to them.  
  
"Oh how embarrassing." Lily chuckled. James laughed, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Maybe you should wait for me outside." He said, taking off his jacket. Lily rolled her eyes, smiled and slid out of the cubicle, allowing James to continue getting changed.  
  
***  
  
Later that night, Lily apparated back to her old house and walked through the front door without knocking.  
  
"I'm home." She called as she began running up the stairs to her bedroom. There was the sound of scraping chairs and her father ran into the hallway.  
  
"Oh Lily. Sweetheart what are you doing here?" he asked. Lily sighed, ran back halfway down the stairs, leant over the railing and kissed her father.  
  
"I just need a few things. I won't be long." She said. "Entertaining guests?" she asked, looking down the hall to the kitchen. The sounds of many voices could be heard. Mr. Evans smiled weakly.  
  
"Yes. Petunia and Vernon are here." He said. Lily frowned and looked over her father's shoulder again.  
  
"How's it going?" she whispered. She knew that her father, just like her, didn't much care for Vernon Dursley.  
  
"Yes well, so far so good. I have been very, VERY tolerant." He said in an exhausted tone. Lily chuckled and sighed.  
  
"I suppose I should say hi then." She said, as though she would rather have kissed Snape than talk to Vernon. Mr. Evans smiled.  
  
"Oh please. Just for a few minutes. I need a back-up." He said, winking at Lily. She snorted and nodded.  
  
"Alright, I'll be right down." She said. Mr. Evans nodded, kissed his daughter once more and walked reluctantly back down the hall to the kitchen.  
  
Lily ran up the stairs and walked the familiar trek back to her old room. She pushed the door open and smiled. Her room was still just as she had left it, with the exception of a lot of missing items that were now residing at her house. There were still a few boxes lying around that contained all the stuff that she and James had not gotten around to moving into her house yet. And even though they had been living there for quite a few months now, it was still amazing how much stuff they had forgotten.  
  
She stepped forward and began searching through boxes. But after a few minutes, she cried out in frustration.  
  
"Bugger this." she said. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at a central point amongst all the boxes.  
  
"Accio Placemats." She said. And from somewhere to the left, 8 placemats flew out from under the pile and landed obediently in Lily's outstretched arms. Normally, Lily would have just not bothered with placemats, but she and James were getting prepared, as they were bound to be entertaining sooner or later.  
  
She smiled in satisfaction and placed them on her old desk. "Reducto." She said, pointing her wand at them, and they shrunk to the size of credit cards. She smiled, picked them up and put them in the back pocket of her jeans.  
  
She put her wand back out of sight, so as not to upset Petunia, flipped her long red hair over her shoulder and walked happily out of her room.  
  
But her euphoria soon wore off as she remembered she had to say hello to her sister and brother-in-law. She sighed, jumped the last two stairs and gathered herself up. She walked down the hall towards the kitchen, a sudden longing for James at her side washing over her.  
  
But she brushed it aside as she crossed the threshold of the kitchen and smiled down at the four people in front of her. They were sitting at the small round dining table that sat in the room adjacent to the kitchen. By the looks of it, they had just finished dinner and were now about to start on dessert.  
  
"Lily! Darling, good to see you." Her mother said, standing up. Lily smiled and embraced her mother warmly.  
  
"Mum. Same here." She said. Mrs. Evans squeezed her upper arms and sat back down. "Daddy." Lily said, bending down and kissing her father on the cheek. She stood up and looked down at Petunia.  
  
"Hey Petunia." She said. "Vernon." She said, hoping her tone was a friendly one. Petunia sniffed indignantly and smiled stiffly at her sister.  
  
"Lillian. What brings you here?" she asked. Lily resisted rolling her eyes. So it was 'Lillian' now was it?  
  
"Just getting a few things for home." She said. Vernon looked at her with confusion.  
  
"What things?" he asked gruffly. Lily smiled.  
  
"In here." She said. She turned her hip slightly towards him and slapped her back pocket with her right hand. Mr. Evans snorted into his glass at Vernon's expression.  
  
"Lily, Andrew. Behave." Mrs. Evans said.  
  
"Oh lighten up Rose." Mr. Evans muttered. Lily looked at Petunia's appalled look before sighing innocently and looking at her watch.  
  
"Well, sorry for the short drop-in, but I must be off. I can't trust James with the roast I'm cooking. He gets all excited when I use the microwave for the gravy." She said.  
  
"Oh too bad." Petunia said sarcastically. Lily smiled evilly, walked around the small table and stood between Petunia and Vernon.  
  
"Yes, tragic isn't it? But don't worry sis, next time I'll bring James and the other boys." She said. And before Petunia could comment, Lily kissed her sister and Vernon on the cheek and disapparated.  
  
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* A/N – Oh man, I giggling just imagining the look on the Dursley's face! If I was Lily, id be rather grossed out after doing that, but I think it would be worth it to see their reaction.  
  
Please review! 


	7. Chapter 7

* Wow. Thanks for your reviews guys. But just for future reference, if you have any pressing questions, e-mail them to me so I can answer them. It's easier that way!  
  
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"Right. We know that Voldemort was recently seen here. But that doesn't mean he is still there. In fact, I find it very unlikely that he IS there." Dumbledore said, pointing at a certain point of the hologram he had conjured of the country.  
  
"Well then, were do we expect him to attack next?" James asked, his hand raised in the air.  
  
"Unfortunately James, we have been studying his movements and we so far have not been able to detect a pattern." McGonagall said.  
  
"But what is the point of moving at random? Surely there has to be some method to his madness." Sirius said, also raising his hand. McGonagall looked at Dumbledore, who sighed and ran a finger along his nose.  
  
"As Minerva said Sirius, we have not YET been able to develop a strong lead at to his tactics. But that does not mean that we wont eventually. Remus, you have been studying the information we gave you?" he asked, looking at Remus next to Sirius. Remus simply nodded and Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"Very well then. If none of you have nothing more to add...' Minerva said, looking around. When no-one spoke, Dumbledore stood up and smiled.  
  
"Very well. Meeting adjourned." He said. The sound of chairs scraping against the stone floor suddenly flied the room as people stood up.  
  
The meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was tonight being held at Hogwarts. Well, not exactly IN Hogwarts. It was in a small room that most people assumed was underneath the school. Their meeting places changed all the time, so as not to reveal any set place for congregation.  
  
"Ask him now." Lily whispered to James, tugging on the back of his shirt. James snorted and nodded.  
  
"Alright, come on." He said. He took Lily's hand and led her through the small crowd of members to the front of the small room.  
  
"Um, Professor Dumbledore?" James asked, interrupting Dumbledore and Kingsley Shacklebolt's conversation. Dumbledore smiled warmly at them.  
  
"I'll speak to you late sir. James, Lily." Kingsley said. He bowed respectfully and left Dumbledore and the couple alone.  
  
"Now, what can I do for you two?" Dumbledore said, reaching into his pocket for something.  
  
"Well Professor, we had something to ask you. A favor actually." James said, still holding Lily's hand. Dumbledore looked at the two of them warmly.  
  
"Alright. What is this favor?" he asked. Lily smiled as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.  
  
"Well er, we were actually wondering if you would er... if you would marry us." James said nervously. Dumbledore suddenly went serious and James swallowed.  
  
"That is, you are allowed to aren't you? Being high up in the Wizengamot hierarchy and all, we just figured that...' Lily stopped as Dumbledore raised his hand to cut her off.  
  
"It would be an honor to marry the two of you." He said, bowing his head respectfully. Lily smiled and James seized Dumbledore's hand.  
  
"Oh smashing. Thanks sir. Great!" he said, shaking Dumbledore's hand with great enthusiasm. Lily chuckled and pulled James's hand away from her old headmaster. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.  
  
"What James is MEANING to say, is that we greatly appreciate this. Thank you Professor." She said. Dumbledore chuckled and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"Come now. Surely you two can start calling me Albus." He said. Lily and James looked at each other and smiled. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm ready for a nightcap. And I'm sure the two of you have much better things to do on a Saturday night than talk to your old headmaster." He said. James laughed and Dumbledore walked off.  
  
"So, what did he say?" Sirius asked, running over as soon as they were alone. Lily snorted.  
  
"He said he'd do it." She said. Sirius smiled broadly.  
  
"Great. Better him than some old priest." He said. James snorted and Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"So, have you spoken to...'  
  
"No." Sirius said sharply, cutting James off. He knew who he was referring to. "Even if I wanted to, I doubt she would." Sirius said. He turned and looked at Allison. She was talking enthusiastically to Remus about something. He shook himself and turned back to Lily and James.  
  
"Well, I'm outta here. Got stuff to do. Finishing touches." He said mischievously. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"But, I thought you'd finished all your homework." James said. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"I have. This is something WAY better." He said. James opened his mouth to say something, but Sirius had already turned around and strode off. He sighed and leant his forehead on Lily's shoulder.  
  
"God I hope its not illegal." He said. Lily snorted and kissed his head.  
  
"Because it's not like you're illegal Animagi or anything." She said, so only he could hear. James laughed, lifted his head and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Come on. Lets say our good-byes and go home."  
  
**  
  
"Check. Your move." Lily said, looking at James over the chessboard. He frowned in concentration, but not about the game.  
  
"Maybe he's smuggling something in for the wedding." James said, recklessly moving his pawn. Lily sighed and moved her queen.  
  
"Maybe." She said. James rubbed his chin and thought again. Lily wrapped her dressing down around herself and looked at him. The flames from the fire were reflecting in his glasses, making him look like he was in a very pensive mood. James moved his king and leant his chin on the palm of his hand.  
  
"No, he wouldn't do that. Maybe it's got to do with the Bachelor party." He said, sounding hopeful. Lily rolled her eyes and moved her pawn.  
  
"Maybe." She repeated. She had the feeling that she could have said 'I'm having wild monkey sex with Snape every night' and he still wouldn't have taken any notice.  
  
"Or maybe he's...'  
  
"ALRIGHT James. Will you forget about it?" she said, starting to feel a bit annoyed. James had been going on about what Sirius might be up to for the past 20 minutes, and Lily's patience was quickly evaporating. James sighed and finally looked up at Lily.  
  
"You're right. Ok. I'll shut up now." He said. Lily smiled and looked back down at the chessboard.  
  
For the next few moments, they continued to play, the only sounds being made was the regular crackling from the fire. Until...  
  
BANG. James and Lily jumped.  
  
"What was that?" Lily asked concerned. James turned his head slightly, trying to listen. There was a split second of silence, until the sound of an engine became increasingly louder and louder.  
  
"That's sounds like a...' Lily started, but James was already out of his seat and heading towards the front door. He pulled it open and stepped out into the night air. He looked around and sure enough, sitting out the front of the house was...  
  
"Sirius." James said, looking at his best friend with interest. Sirius lowered his sunglasses and grinned as Lily stepped outside also. "My God Padfoot!" James said excitedly and ran down the steps towards the road.  
  
Sirius smiled and stepped onto the footpath.  
  
"Like it?" he asked, looking behind him. James laughed and bent down to look at the machine in front of him.  
  
It was a motorcycle. It was black and it appeared to be well cared for as it was freshly polished and shined against the moon.  
  
"Wow Sirius. Where did you get this" Lily asked, walking up to his side. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Nice huh? I bought her ages ago, and I've finally finished all the necessary touches." he said, tugging on the front of his leather jacket. James ran his hand along the leather seat and let out a low whistle of awe.  
  
"Is this a Thunderbolt?" he asked. Sirius nodded and bobbed down next to James.  
  
"Yep. A 1971 BSA Thunderbolt. 650cc engine." He said. Lily, who knew absolutely nothing about motorbikes, was still very impressed.  
  
"Its very nice Sirius." She said, walking onto the road to get another view of it, the fact that she was in her pajamas and pink fluffy slippers not bothering her in the slightest.  
  
"Nice? She's beautiful." James said, standing up and running a hand through his hair.  
  
"Yeah, and boy does she fly. And of course, I mean that totally in the literal sense." Sirius said casually. At this, Lily looked at him with curiosity.  
  
"Literal? You mean this actually flies?" she asked. Sirius's smirk was enough of an answer for her.  
  
"Are you serious? Wow. Did YOU get her to do that?" James asked, looking at Sirius with admiration.  
  
"Yep. I've been working on her for months. I put a few charms in her, just to make her that little bit more special. Lets see there's an Anti-theft charm, a Lost-and-Found charm...'  
  
"Sirius, you could get into so much trouble with the ministry for this. This is misuse of Muggle artifacts and...'  
  
"Lily, calm down. I went through all the appropriate channels and signed all the paperwork. Trust me, she's legal." He said. Lily relaxed considerably. "Meanwhile, I couldn't tell you if there was a rhino stampede running through your street." Sirius said, squinting through the sunglasses. James snorted and grabbed them off his head.  
  
"Why are you wearing these then dumb-ass?" he asked. Sirius chuckled as James passed him the sunglasses.  
  
"It's the look Prongs. Chicks dig it." He said, standing in a pose that greatly resembled Fonzie from Happy Days. Lily laughed and shook her head.  
  
"Can I start her up?" James asked. Sirius smiled and passed James the keys.  
  
"Now James, do you know how to...' But Lily didn't get to finish as James swung his leg over the bike, and started her up without any trouble at all. Lily stared at James revved the engine.  
  
"Purrs like a kitten." Sirius said loudly over the engine, his arms crossed over his chest. James smiled and bounced slightly up and down in the seat. Lily looked at James with curiosity. Since when did he know so much about muggle motorbikes?  
  
"Wanna take her for a spin?" Sirius said. James opened his mouth to speak, but the look he got from Lily was enough to quiet him.  
  
"No, not tonight. Thanks anyway Sirius." Lily said. James nodded, although Sirius could tell that he was rather disappointed.  
  
"Oh come on Lilikins, where's your sense of danger?" Sirius asked, nudging Lily with his shoulder. Lily smiled and tied her dressing down around her waist.  
  
"Inside with my chessboard. I didn't say never, just not tonight. But, if you want to have a ride, you can." Lily said, looking at James. James smiled warmly at her.  
  
"You don't mind?" he asked, feeling very excited. Lily chuckled, walked up to him and kissed him.  
  
"Don't be home too late." She said. James threw his head back and laughed. Sirius ran forward, kissed Lily on the cheek and pulled his wan out.  
  
"Prongs, if I'm to be seen with you on that, you have to...' he pointed his wand at James, muttered a few spells and instantly, James's pajamas were turned into a leather jacket, white t-shirt and jeans. '...change." Sirius said with a satisfied smile. James rolled his eyes as Sirius jumped on behind him.  
  
"Not too late!" James called over his shoulder. Lily smiled, waved and the two boys rode off into the street. They had gone about 50 meters, before James turned very sharply and they began coming up the road.  
  
Lily watched them with curiosity and just as they were about to pass her again, the motorbike emitted another loud BANG and it lifted off into the air. Lily smiled even though her heart was racing. She waved as the two men flew off over houses into the night sky.  
  
Lily sighed as she looked around the now very quiet street.  
  
"Lucky there aren't any muggles in Godric's Hollow." She muttered as she walked back into the house.  
  
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* A/N- Hey guys. Sorry it took me so long to get this out to you, but I went away on holidays! I hope it was up to standard! 


	8. Chapter 8

* Yay, chapter 8! Can you believe this? This is great! Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews guys!  
  
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"Son? James?" Richard Potter said, waving his hand in front of his son's face. James jumped and looked confused at his father.  
  
"Huh?" he asked. Richard snorted.  
  
"I ask you where you're getting your flowers from." He said, chuckling. James smiled and ran a hand through his unruly hair.  
  
"Yeah, um we haven't really decided yet." He said. "Lily wants to shop around." He said, looking around the nursery.  
  
James and his father were at one of the largest Herbology nurseries in the country. His father needed to stock up on his potion ingredients, and a lot of what he needed was there. James poked at the mandrake leg absentmindedly.  
  
"Yes. Women are rather particular with their flowers and the like. I remember it took your mother 2 months to decide what she wanted." Richard said, looking at a jar. James snorted.  
  
"Oh, I'VE already made up my mind what I want. But I want her to think she's making huge decisions." James said, smirking. Richard chuckled.  
  
"Oh? What have you decided on?" he asked. James looked at him with amazement.  
  
"Lilies." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm wearing one right here." He said, patting his left shirt pocket. "All of the guys are. I'm just waiting for her to realize what's so obvious." He said. Richard smiled and began walking along the isle of many shelved, containing all different plants and seeds.  
  
"So, what else is there to do?" Richard said, looking at various objects as he passed them.  
  
"Well, there's the reception hall. And the actual church. We considered Hogwarts, but most of her relatives are muggles." He said. "Besides, I'm totally alright with doing it the muggle way. I read about how it's all traditional in Muggle studies and I think she'll like it." He said. Richard picked up his wand and poked a large Venus Fly-trap.  
  
"Son, chances are she's been planning her wedding since she was 7. Ergo, it will ALL be muggle-related." He said. James laughed and scratched his nose.  
  
"I just...want everything to be perfect for her. And... not just in relation to the wedding." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the floor. At this statement, Richard went quite serious. He put down his wand and turned to James.  
  
"James, are you listening to me?" he asked, looking his son in the eye. James stood up straight.  
  
"Yeah." He said. Richard pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Never in the history of my existence, have I seen ANYONE look at you the way Lily does. She loves you totally and completely, and by just being there for her and treating her with respect, you WILL have a perfect life." He said. James looked at his father with admiration.  
  
"You really think so?" he asked. Richard chuckled.  
  
"Are you insane boy? She adores you." He said. James smiled and hugged his father.  
  
"Thanks dad." He said. Richard patted his son on the back and pulled back.  
  
"Good. Now, seen as we've sorted that out, come on. I've got to collect Bubotuber pus." He said.  
  
James groaned and followed his father outside into the gardens.  
  
**  
  
"Oi Evans, wake up!" Trinity yelled, banging her fist on the table. Lily, who had her head resting on her arms on the desk jumped with fright.  
  
"Yeah, I'm done with the reports." She said, looking around her desk drowsily. Trinity snorted and Lily relaxed as she realized what was going on. "Sorry." She chuckled. Trinity laughed.  
  
"Ha! You think I give a damn if you take an office quickie?" she said. Lily snorted up at her partner.  
  
"You mean that in terms of sleep don't you?" she said, looking at her desk for her work. Trinity laughed.  
  
"Er yeah. Sure I do." She said sarcastically. Lily laughed and relaxed back into her chair. She looked at Trinity while she was doing something else. Today her outfit was very hippie-like. She had a purple tie-die skirt on, black sandals and a black singlet top.  
  
"Oh, I meant to tell you that the dresses are nearly done." She said. Trinity opened the widow behind her, letting the warm breeze filter into the room.  
  
"Yeah? Good stuff. But what about your wedding dress? Are you getting that one we saw, or are you settling for second best?" she said. Lily smiled and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"No, I picked a different one. Its no-where near as beautiful, but its still nice." She said. Trinity watched Lily fetch two sticks from her desk draw and proceed to put her hair up with them. Trinity frowned at this statement. Personally, she agreed with Allison, but she did not feel she wanted to get into an argument over it at the present time.  
  
"Alright then. What else is there to do?" she said. Lily finished placing the last stick in her hair and wiped sleep out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Oh, I meant to tell you. Your partner is Remus." She said. Trinity raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And that's who?" she said, rubbing her neck. Lily laughed.  
  
"He's third in command. Next to Sirius, who you haven't met either. Good god, you need to meet these people." She said in one huge breath. Trinity laughed.  
  
"Damn right. So far all I've met is your Mom, Allison and your hottie fiancé." She said. Lily laughed as both her pronunciation and her lack of knowing people. "I want to know when I get to meet your sister." She said, flipping through her inbox. Lily looked up at Trinity with amusement.  
  
"You...want to meet my sister?" she asked. Trinity looked up at her and nodded.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And my brother-in-law?"  
  
"Yeah...why not?" she said. Lily looked at her with amazement.  
  
"Are... you sure?" she said. Trinity nodded slowly and Lily smiled. "Hmm, are you busy right now?" she asked, standing up smoothly. Trinity looked around and shook her head.  
  
"Nup, why?" she asked. Lily smirked, walked over to her and grabbed her arm.  
  
"Follow me." She said.  
  
And the two of them disapparated moments later.  
  
**  
  
Allison was reclined on her couch, in her pajamas (which consisted only of a small singlet top and old tracksuit pants) watching 'I love Lucy' reruns and nearly spraying coke out of her nose. Her parents were out for a romantic evening alone and weren't due home until late the next morning. Allison still shuddered with the thought of it. She still lived at home, as she wasn't ready to move out yet. Allison still immensely enjoyed the luxuries of her home.  
  
Just as the commercial break came on, there was a knock at the front door.  
  
"Coming!" Allison called. She discarded her blanket and her slippers and trotted straight over to the door, not even considering that at the door would be...  
  
"Sirius." Allison said as she pulled the door open. He smiled down at her, trying to be calm about the fact that she was wearing revealing clothing.  
  
"Hi. Can I come in?" he asked. Allison suppressed the urge to laugh. He certainly didn't wait to be asked.  
  
"Sure." She said flatly, standing aside. He took off his sunglasses (why was he wearing them at night?) and walked casually over the threshold and straight into the living room. Allison rolled her eyes, shut the door behind him and followed him into the room.  
  
"So, what do you want?" she asked.  
  
"Your parents out?" he asked, ignoring her question. Allison gritted her teeth.  
  
"Yeah, they are. What do you want?" she repeated. Sirius sighed, kicked his boots off and flopped down on the recliner. As she sat down opposite him, she noticed that he was dressing rather different lately.  
  
"I need to discuss table settings with you. I told James I would take care of it for him." He said, reaching into his back pocket. Allison tried not to watch as he arched his back, making his pelvis stick out his as he reached into his pocket.  
  
"Alright then. But maybe you could have arranged it with me before." She said irritably. Sirius frowned.  
  
"Maybe I would have if you weren't giving me the cold shoulder." He said. Allison opened her mouth to retort, but found that she couldn't. Allison hadn't spoken to Sirius since she stormed out on him ages ago. And in fact, the only time she had seen him since was at Order meetings.  
  
"Right. I'm sorry. What have you got so far?" she asked, wrapping her blanket around her as she noticed Sirius's traveling eyes. He shook himself and placed a small piece of paper on the coffee table. He got his wand out and pointed it at the paper.  
  
"Engorgio." He said confidently and the paper blew up 10 times larger. Allison noticed that he had drawn tables on it and also had little pieces of paper in the shape of chairs with people's names on it.  
  
"Well, how do you plan to do this? We don't know how everyone is like." She said, leaning forward. Sirius drew himself up importantly.  
  
"Easy. I know most of Prongs's family, and you know...'  
  
"...hardly any of Lily's family." She finished, looking at the chart. Sirius deflated significantly from his speech and sighed.  
  
"Bugger. Well, maybe we can call them on the feletone and get to know them better." He said. Allison rolled her eyes.  
  
"Firstly, it's a Telephone. Secondly, it's going to cost me a fortune in phone calls ringing all these people." She said, pointing at the 'Lily's family' column. Sirius frowned.  
  
"Well YOU think of something then." He challenged.  
  
"How about you give all this to James and say you cant do it." She said in a patronizing tone.  
  
"But I told him I would do it." He said.  
  
"But you obviously cant. James will understand." She said. Sirius stood up and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I would be able to if you knew Lily's family well enough." He said. Allison was just about breathing fire out of her nose.  
  
"Excuse me? How the fuck can this be my fault?" she snapped, jumping to her feet. "Not everyone can be as...sociable as you." She said, her voice full of venom. Sirius rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh come on. Don't make this about us!" he snapped back. Allison glared at him. "Besides, I have told you over and over again that I...'  
  
'...don't remember. I don't know what happened. I don't know how a naked girl ended up in my bed, blah blah blah.' She said in an imitation of his voice. 'And how many times have I told you that I don't believe that pile of shit for one second." She said, pointing at him. Sirius stepped towards her and looked down at her, but she stood her ground.  
  
"Its not a pile of shit. It's the fucking truth. I thought you know me better than that Allison." He said, sounding hurt. Allison walked over to the door and opened it.  
  
"Yeah, so did I." She said, indicating for him to leave.  
  
Sirius looked at her for a split second, before he picked up his boots and walked to the door. He looked down at her one last time, as if wanting to say something, but he shook his head and walked out.  
  
Allison watched him walk down the path to the road and slammed the door shut. She glared angrily at it for a moment, before she ran over to the couch, threw herself down on it and screamed into the cushion.  
  
She screamed until the need for air took over. She lifted her head out of the cushion and threw it at the wall. She was fuming. How dare he still deny what she knew to be the truth. The nerve of him coming up to her house and trying to deny it.  
  
Allison looked down at the chart he had left behind and immediately felt a large pang of guilt. This was meant to be about Lily and James, not her and Sirius. She hadn't been trying at all. She had to go and turn 'ice-queen; on him again when all he was trying to do was help out.  
  
Allison stood up and went into the kitchen and started making herself a hot chocolate. She was mad at herself. Mad for being so selfish. Mad for not trying hard enough.  
  
And mad for still having very large feelings for Best Man, Sirius Black.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
* Well, there you go. A bit of everything. Don't worry, for all you people wondering if Allison and Sirius will ever reconcile, I shall answer with a very large, very 'fat-bastard' like 'May-B." *laughs evilly*  
  
Please review! 


	9. Chapter 9

* Chapter 9! Ah, the wonders of my brain. Haha, sorry, I'm in an 'its all about me' mood. Thanks for your reviews guys. Keep up the good work.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"You did what?" James laughed, looking at Lily across the table with amazement. Lily was holding her side and crying. She had been laughing so hard.  
  
"Oh James...their faces! Oh, you would have LOVED it." She breathed, trying to sooth the ache in her side. James laughed and looked at Lily.  
  
"I can't believe YOU did that." He said. Lily sobered slightly and looked at him indignantly.  
  
"Excuse me, it wasn't just me. And plus, is it totally out of character for me to want to remodel my sisters house?" she said. James snorted as she started giggling again.  
  
* (FLASHBACK) *  
  
"Ew. What the hell is that?" Trinity asked, pointing at what stood in front of her and Lily. Lily snorted and tucked her wand out of sight.  
  
"That's my Sister's new house." She said, looking up and down the streets of Privet Drive. Trinity faked a gag.  
  
"Not very nice. She should take a leaf out of your book." She said. Lily let out a hollow laugh.  
  
"Uh huh. Come on. Allow me to introduce you." She said. Trinity smiled, let Lily take her hand and lead her across the road.  
  
Lily looked at Trinity from the corner of her eye and smiled. She was extremely confident that whatever insults Petunia or Vernon threw at Trinity, she would be able to handle it. Trinity was one of those people who didn't care what strangers thought of her and was very proud of who she was.  
  
Lily reached out, knocked on the door and took a step back. She felt Trinity practically quivering with excitement. There was a few seconds pause, before the door swung open.  
  
Lily looked up into the beefy face of Vernon Dursely and smiled warmly.  
  
"Ah, Vernon. Smashing. Is my sister home?" she said and without giving him a chance to answer, she pulled Trinity into the house with her. "Oh, his is Trinity Marshal by the way. She works with me at the Ministry." Lily said, looking up the stairs. Trinity extended her hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you finally." She said, smiling warmly at him. Vernon was too stunned to even comprehend Lily's fist sentence, let alone shake this woman's hand.  
  
"Petunia? Hello?" Lily called up the stairs.  
  
"Lily?" lily spun around to see a very confused Petunia Dursley walk out of the kitchen into the living room. Lily smiled and crossed over to her sister.  
  
"Petunia. How are you?" she asked warmly. Petunia looked at her little sister suspiciously.  
  
"I...I'm fine. What re you ding here?" she asked, now looking over at Lily's shoulder at the beautiful woman near her husband. Lily smiled and beckoned Trinity over.  
  
"Well, I wanted you to meet Trinity Marshal. She's the second bridesmaid." She said. Trinity once again extended her hand to Petunia. Lily smiled, even though her sister did not shake hands. Lily had a sudden flashback to when she had brought Remus back to her house months ago. But she was happy to see that this time, Petunia didn't have a baseball bat. Perhaps she felt she was safe with Vernon there, but Lily doubted that Vernon would have the balls to take on two witches.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Petunia said stiffly. Trinity slowly withdrew her hand again, but otherwise seemed utterly un-phased at the rudeness she was receiving.  
  
"Great to meet you too. And I apologize for us just bursting in like this, but I was nagging in Lily's ear all day to meet you and well...here we are!" she said happily. Petunia was giving Trinity a once over. Lily sighed, grabbed Petunia's hand and led her into the kitchen.  
  
"So, you like her?" she asked, leaning against the bench. Petunia scoffed and continued cleaning the oven which was apparently what she had been doing before Lily and Trinity had turned up.  
  
"You really want me to answer that? She asked, looking at the roof of the oven. Lily snorted and sat on a stool.  
  
"I guess not. I'm sure Vernie loves her." Lily said, looking out into the living room. Trinity was talking adamantly to Vernon about something while he was looking quite scared.  
  
"Lily, please don't use silly pet names." Petunia said impatiently. Lily smirked, enjoying the fact that she was narking her sister.  
  
"Why not? James and I do. Lets see, I call him Jamsie, Prongs, Jamie-poo...'  
  
"Lillian, I don't want to know." She said, scrubbing the side of the oven a lot harder than was probably necessary. Lily smiled. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked sharply. Lily sighed.  
  
"Trinity told you. She wanted to meet you, and who am I to argue with such a beautiful witch such as...'  
  
"Stop right there!" Petunia snapped, finally coming out of the oven. She threw the scour in the sink and glared at her sister. "Do not, under any circumstances, talk about your abnormality under my roof. Am I clear?" she asked, pointing at Lily with her gloved hand.  
  
"What, you mean my love heart birth-mark on my left bum cheek?" she said, acting dumb. Petunia glared at her.  
  
"Lily, you are many things, but you are definitely not stupid." She said and turned back to the oven. Lily raised her eyebrows and smiled.  
  
"Thanks for the compliment. What's with all the spring cleaning anyway?" she asked, looking around. There were many cleaning products on the floor at her feet.  
  
"Vernon and I are cleaning up a bit." She said flatly. Lily smirked.  
  
"Oh, remodeling! You know, I can do it for you in half the time. It will cost you nothing either." She said. Petunia stood up and hit her head on the roof of the oven hard. She pulled her head out and looked at Lily with slight fear.  
  
"What...what do you mean?" she asked. Lily smiled, said nothing and ran into the living room. She suppressed the urge to laugh as she tuned into what Trinity was saying to Vernon.  
  
"So anyway, there's shit flying EVERYWHERE right, and the cops are all frantic with worry. Most of them haven't got a clue what's going on, so Lily and I get in there and...oh hey Lily." She said, looking up. Lily smiled down at Trinity.  
  
"Well, I've just volunteered to do some renovating for Petunia. Do you wish to help?" Lily asked. Trinity smirked up at her. She could tell by the expression on Lily's face what was going on.  
  
"Sure." She said casually and the two girls got their wands out. Vernon jumped out of his seat as if it had bitten him.  
  
"Oh ho, wait a minute. What are you going to do with those?" he asked, pointing a shaky finger at the wands. Lily smiled and rested the tip of her wand against her chin.  
  
"Just a few touches." She said, looking around. Petunia ran into the room and straight to Vernon's side.  
  
"Lily, don't you dare!" she said in a low, dangerous voice. But Lily was too used to this to be threatened any more.  
  
"But you just said...'  
  
"Come on Petunia. We can make the walls any color you want." Trinity said, cutting Lily off. She pointed her wand at the nearest wall and began waving it around. "What do you say? Purple? It'll match your sweater." She said, looking at Vernon. He drew himself up to his full height and stepped in front of Petunia.  
  
"Now see here. I won't have any of your...funny business being carried out under my roof!" he said, his courage apparently building. Trinity continued to smile at Vernon for a few seconds, before she looked at Lily.  
  
"What do you reckon?" she said. Lily smirked, completely enjoying teasing her sister and pointed her wand at the nearest cushion.  
  
"Are you sure? I can make some really great changes." She said, waving her wand in what she hoped was a threatening manner. Petunia launched herself from behind Vernon at her sister and pulled her arm out.  
  
"Out! Both of you." She said harshly. Lily flinched slightly. She had only been joking with her after all. But as soon as she saw the look on Vernon's face, her humor came flooding back.  
  
"Ok. But we'll see you at the wedding Petunia. No doubt I'll expect a dance with you too." Trinity said, winking at Vernon. He swelled up considerably and before he could explode, Lily ran forward, kissed her sister again on the cheek and the two women disapparated.  
  
* (END FLASHBACK) *  
  
"And so, where did you go after that?" James asked, looking at Lily with admiration. Lily smiled and ran a hand through her freshly washed hair.  
  
"Back to work. We're very busy women James. We can't just go gallivanting off whenever we fell like it." She said in a superior tone. James snorted and kissed her knuckles lightly. He went to say something else, when the front door opened and closed again. There was the sound of heavy footsteps and then a very sad looking Sirius Black walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey." He said. James looked up at him with great concern.  
  
"Jesus Sirius, what the hell's wrong?" he asked. Lily pulled a seat out for him and he sat down in it heavily. He smiled at her in thanks, before sighing.  
  
"I shouldn't be here, but I didn't want to talk to anyone else." He said, looking at James with both sadness and guilt. James and Lily exchanged a glance.  
  
"No, it's alright. You want me to leave?" Lily asked, rubbing Sirius's arm. He shook his head and smiled weakly at her.  
  
"Nah. You might be able to offer some insight." He asked, taking his leather jacket off. Lily was now quite concerned.  
  
"Sirius, what's the matter?" James asked, looking straight at his best friend. Sirius sighed, looking at the table and took a deep breath.  
  
"I've tried. I've tried everything. I've tried talking to her, pleading with her, arguing with her...but I can't win." He said. His voice was shaking. "I know I didn't do anything wrong." He said, his voice getting higher. James's face was set. He knew who Sirius was talking about.  
  
"Sirius, I don't want to sound cold-hearted, but you need to get over her." Lily said. She was relieved when Sirius didn't get mad.  
  
"I've tried. I can't help it Lily. It seems so...unfinished. Like it didn't happen right. Our time together isn't up yet." He said. He folded his arms on the table and rested his forehead on them.  
  
There was a few moments silence, when James stood up and went for his jacket.  
  
"Honey, where are you going?" Lily asked, looking at him with curiosity. James grabbed his wand and simply disapparated without a word.  
  
**  
  
Allison slipped her pajama top on and sighed with relaxation. She had been up for the past three hours working on her new assignment and was buggered.  
  
She pulled her hair out of its small ponytail and walked over to her window to open it, but she spun around at the sound of a small 'pop' behind her.  
  
"James? What are you doing here?" she asked, looking at him with curiosity. He didn't look very happy about something.  
  
"Do you even realize what you're doing to him?" he asked, not looking at her but at the floor. Allison was startled by this.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Don't play dumb. You know who I'm talking about." He said shortly. Allison sighed and walked past him to her desk.  
  
"Look, no offence James, but its really none of your business." She said. James smiled bitterly and grabbed her upper arm, making her look at him.  
  
"Yeah well you know what, when my best mate turns up at my place looking like someone's died, it kinda does become my business." He said sharply. Allison was surprised by his tone. He had never been like this with her.  
  
"Sirius is at your house?" she asked. James simply stared at her. "Is he...alright?" she asked, starting to feel a bit worried. At this, James's blank expression cracked.  
  
"Are you kidding? I've never seen him this depressed." He said. Allison felt another pang of guilt for the second time that day, but it was quickly pushed aside by her anger.  
  
"Yeah? Does anyone ever stop to think that maybe this is hard on me too?" she snapped. "Does anyone consider the girlfriend that got cheated on? Oh no, poor Sirius is upset." She said bitterly. Before she had time to even flinch, James had closed the distance between them.  
  
"Now you listen to me. I feel sorry for my mate for good reasons. He's confused. Not only did he loose one of the things that meant most to him, what makes it worse is it was over some stupid mis-understanding." He said in a dangerously low voice. Allison raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Misunderstanding? Lets see now. Naked man plus naked woman next to him in bed...gee I wonder what that equals." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and bitterness. James drew himself up to his full height and looked down at her determinedly.  
  
"Allison, have you even listened to what Sirius has been saying?" he asked. Allison scoffed and walked around him.  
  
"No. I don't need to hear it."  
  
'Yes you fucking do!" James yelled angrily. Allison looked at him with astonishment. "Allison, do you really think that he would throw away a good relationship just like that? Sirius isn't like that." He said. Allison listened, finding his loyalty very intriguing. Her confidence was starting to waver.  
  
"James look, you weren't there. What I saw...'  
  
"You're right. I wasn't there when you walked in on him. But I was there the night you broke up with him. I was there tonight when he walked into my kitchen and I'm telling you now...that is not a lying man." He said. Allison looked up at James, listening intently. James seemed to be relaxing slightly.  
  
"Allison, think about this. If you believe he is lying to you, then listen to me. Would I lie to you?" he asked. Allison eyes began to water.  
  
"James...' she stared, but didn't finish. James sighed, ran a hand through his hair and took her hands.  
  
"Allison, who knows Sirius better than me?" he asked, looking her directly in the eye. She stared at him for what seemed an eternity.  
  
Finally, James broke their eye contact and let go of her hands.  
  
"I'll give you some time to think about it." He said simply. Allison blinked, and then he was gone again.  
  
She stared at the empty space for a few seconds, James's words ringing in her ears. It was true, no one DID know Sirius better than James. But how did that explain what she walked in on?  
  
Allison flopped down on her stomach on he bed and curled up. She was silent for a few minutes before she could hold back the tears no longer. She let go and the emotions finally came out.  
  
Allison cried herself to sleep.  
  
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* A/N- Oh I know. A bit sad. But we're getting into more wedding stuff soon. Stay tuned!  
  
Please review. 


	10. Chapter 10

* Chapter 10! Ok, I had a bit of a depression chapter last time, so I'm going to try and lighten the mood slightly. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Lily rubbed her eyes for a moment and then almost immediately began writing again. She had been hunched over her latest report on an incident in London for the past 2 hours and had hardly looked up once.  
  
And as a result of being so wrapped up in her work, she had not noticed Trinity watching her for the past 10 minutes.  
  
Trinity had her legs crossed on her desk and was reclined in her chair. Her hair was up in a ponytail and her papers were resting in her lap.  
  
"Lily?" she called innocently. Lily ignored her and continued writing. "Lily!" Trinity yelled. At this, Lily jumped significantly and looked around with blurry eyes.  
  
"What?" she asked. Trinity smirked.  
  
"I think you need a break." She chuckled. Lily smiled and rubbed her eyes again.  
  
"No, no I'm fine. I'm nearly done anyway." She said, resuming her work. Trinity sighed, got up from her seat, walked over to Lily and snatched the pen out of her hand in mid-sentence. "Hey! What are you doing?" she asked slightly outraged. Trinity simply smiled and threw Lily's pen over her shoulder.  
  
"Break time." She said patronizingly, smiling widely. Lily rolled her eyes and smiled.  
  
"Alright. 5 minutes!" she said, tying her hair up in a ponytail. Trinity smiled and went to say something, when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in, we're naked!" Trinity called, smirking. Lily snorted as a very confused Remus Lupin stuck his head in the room, a very nice smelling after- shave following him.  
  
"You're what?" he asked. Lily laughed and stood up.  
  
"Come in Remus." She said happily. Remus smiled, walked completely in the room and shut the door behind him. Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Remus, what HAVE you been up to?" she asked, walking up to him. Remus looked down at himself and smiled.  
  
He was wearing a very nice, yet expensive outfit that showed off his torso well. His hair also appeared to have been cut and was in a very nice style. Lily was still amazed at how well expensive clothes complemented a man, and since she had never really seen Remus in anything fancy, she now realized how very attractive he was.  
  
"Oh er, work." He said evasively. Lily smiled, wondering what that was about, but changed the subject.  
  
"So, what brings you here?" she asked, sitting on her desk. Remus smiled and pulled some brochures out of his back pocket.  
  
"James asked me to drop these off to you. Well, he didn't really ask. I offered." Remus said, smiling bashfully. Lily chuckled and took them off him. They were information on local reception halls.  
  
"Oh smashing." She said. She looked up at Remus, who was no longer looking at her, but at Trinity. Lily looked at her partner and suppressed the urge to laugh. Trinity was looking at Remus as if she had never seen a man before in her entire life.  
  
"Oh, bloody hell I'm rude. Remus, this is Trinity Marshal, my other bridesmaid and your partner in line." She said. Remus smiled and held his hand out.  
  
"Great to finally meet you." He said, smiling warmly at her. Trinity just continued to stare at him, and it was only until Lily cleared her throat that she realized Remus was waiting for her to shake his hand.  
  
"Oh, shit I'm sorry. Great to meet you." She said nervously, shaking his hand. Remus smiled and chuckled at Trinity's nervousness. "Shit I can't believe I just said that." She said. "Oh, I cant believe I just said shit, three times already." She rambled, smiling nervously at Remus. Remus put his hands in his pockets and continued to watch Trinity, her doing the same in return.  
  
Lily smiled, finding all this very cute. Trinity was not usually this nervous around guys, and it was refreshing to see it. Lily opened her mouth to break the silence, but was cut off by an alarm sounding off.  
  
The three people looked around confused as an alarmed voice rang loud throughout the room. "Code Blue. All available witches and Wizards to the main foyer!"  
  
Lily and Trinity looked at each other in confusion for a moment, before they hastily grabbed their wands and cloaks and headed for the door.  
  
"Come on Remus." Lily said, pulling the door open. The three of them walked swiftly out of the office and strode quickly down the halls.  
  
"What's a code blue?" Remus asked, jogging to keep up. Not working within the Ministry of Magic meant Remus wasn't aware of all security measures.  
  
"Not used very often." Lily said, still feeling very confused. She dodged many equally confused wizards in the hallways and let the other two around a corner and down a flight of stairs.  
  
"Code Blue is a Muggle warning. There's either a Muggle in the vicinity, or actually in the Ministry." Trinity said. Remus looked at her with amazement as they rounded another corner.  
  
"Muggles in the Ministry? Is that even possible?" he asked. Lily nodded and adjusted her cloak around her.  
  
"Yeah. It's very unlikely, but it's possible. It's like Hogwarts. They aren't meant to be able to see Hogwarts for what it really is, but there's nothing that actually stops them entering it." She said.  
  
They passed many more wizards along the halls until they finally found themselves in the entrance hall. There were about 50 wizards all standing in a circle around a single person who was standing near the fountain, their wands raised.  
  
It was a girl, about 17 and she looked absolutely terrified. She had clothes on that resembled Trinity's and her hair was pitch black with streaks of blue in it. She had red eyes and her arms were wrapped around herself in fear.  
  
Lily's eyes widened as she recognized the girl.  
  
"Kim." She muttered.  
  
"I ask you again girl! Who are you?" barked Bartemuis Crouch. The girl sniffed and trembled with fear at the man's stare.  
  
"I swear, I didn't mean to cause any trouble!" she said, looking around at the wizards.  
  
Lily sighed and ran a hand through her ponytail as she pushed her way through the circle.  
  
"Mr. Crouch, she's with me!" Lily said, walking up to Kim.  
  
"Lily!" she practically screamed with relief. Lily smiled and opened her arms to her cousin. Kim ran forward and threw her arms around Lily's waist. "Lily, I swear, all I did was follow your directions and the alarms went off and these guys came charging at me and...I'm so sorry." She blurted out. Lily smiled and looked at a fuming Mr. Crouch.  
  
"You know this muggle?" he demanded. Many of the surrounding wizards had lowered their wands and relaxed considerably. Lily was very well respected and liked at the ministry, even though her official position was rather minor.  
  
"Yes, I do. She's my cousin." She said, slightly outraged with Mr. Crouch's tone.  
  
"And are you saying Miss Evans, that you disclosed the where-about's of the Ministry of Magic to a mug...your cousin?" he asked, his voice still shaking. Lily frowned and stood up a bit straighter.  
  
"Yes. I told her to meet me here today. But, being as busy as I am, I forgot to clear her. So, I apologize for worrying you all." She said, looking around at the circle of wizards around her apologetically. They all smiled and nodded in understanding, but Mr. Crouch still looked less than impressed.  
  
"Miss Evans, you realize the repercussions that could arise from...'  
  
"Yes sir, I do. But I think my cousin has had enough stress for one day." She said defensively, wrapping her arm around Kim's shoulders a bit tighter. Mr. Crouch gave Lily and Kim one last look, before turning on his heel and walking off. Lily groaned inwardly as the wizard all slowly departed and looked down at her cousin.  
  
"Kim, are you alright?" she asked. Kim laughed nervously.  
  
"Am I alright? Are you kidding?" she asked, wiping her eyes. Lily sighed and hugged her properly.  
  
"I'm sorry. Thick dumb-ass I am. I should have prepared you for this." She said. She pulled back and stroked Kim's cheek softly, brushing stray tears away. Kim smiled up at her.  
  
"It's alright. I'm just...never coming here again." She said, looking around. Lily laughed as Trinity and Remus came up behind her. Lily gave Kim's cheek one last stroke, before she turned around to look at the two people behind her.  
  
"Kim, this is Remus and Trinity. Guys, this is Kim, my cousin." She said. Remus and Trinity smiled and Kim smiled weakly back. And then she did a double take as her eyes landed on Remus.  
  
"Look er, I suppose you wont want to stay here for the rest of the day, is dreadfully boring enough for me. So maybe you could...hello?" Lily said, waving a hand in front of Kim's face. Kim jumped and looked at Lily with confusion.  
  
"Huh?" she asked. Lily rolled her eyes and turned Kim away from Remus.  
  
"Do you want to hang at my house until I get home?" she asked. Kim nodded.  
  
"Sure. As long as you have a TV." She said, still stealing glances at Remus over Lily's shoulder. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Excuse me, just cause I'm a witch, doesn't mean I'm retarded." She said, poking Kim between the eyes. Kim laughed and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"Ok then. Gimme your keys." She said, holding her hand out expectantly. Lily smiled, reached into her hip pocket, pulled her spare house key out and handed it to her cousin.  
  
"Remus?" she called. Remus walked over casually and smiled down at Lily.  
  
"Hmm?" he asked. He was looking rather uncomfortable at Kim's obvious drooling.  
  
"Would you mind taking Kim back to my house? I would, except I've got to finish my report and...'  
  
"Its alright Lils, I don't mind." He chuckled, holding his hands up. Lily smiled and kissed Remus on the cheek.  
  
"Great. And as for you...' she said, pointing at Kim ' ...stay away from my potion ingredients, my spell books, my...'  
  
"Alright Lily! Jesus, I know. No touchie!" she said, giving Lily a cheesy grin. Lily glared mockingly at her.  
  
"OK, we're taking the Knight Bus, so don't go running off on me." Remus said, standing next to Kim and holding his hand out. Kim smiled and took his hand softly. He grinned and looked at Trinity.  
  
"I'll er, see you around." He said. Trinity stepped forward quickly and smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, totally. Great to meet you finally." She said, swinging her arms at her side. Remus gave the two women one final smile before he and Kim walked off to the golden elevator and slowly disappeared from sight. Lily smiled and Trinity let out a low breath.  
  
"You like him?" she asked. Trinity looked at Lily as if she had gone mad.  
  
"How in the world did you get all the sexiest men in the world as your friends?" she asked. Lily laughed and linked her elbow with Trinity's.  
  
"Wait until you see Sirius." She said. Trinity laughed and let Lily lead them back up to their office.  
  
**  
  
James walked through the front door of his house, carrying different wallpaper samples in a bundle in his arms. He and Lily were considering re- wallpapering the house, and seen as he was out and had nothing better to do, he figured he could pick up a few options.  
  
He sighed, dropped his keys in the small bowl near the door and dropped the samples carefully on the floor. He looked in the living room as the sound of the TV filled his ears. He looked over to the couch, but saw only the top of someone with black hair. He frowned, walked into the living room and looked down at a girl, lying relaxed on the couch with a bowl of chips on her stomach. She looked up from the TV as James and smiled.  
  
"Oh hi. You must be James! Great to meet you." She said happily, but did not bother to move at all. James smiled confused down at the girl.  
  
"Great to meet you too." He said. She smiled warmly at him and looked back at the television. James ran a hand through his hair and cocked an eyebrow. "Er, who are you?" he asked. The girl looked up at him again.  
  
"Huh? Oh, I'm Kim. Lily's cousin?" she said, hoping to jog his memory.  
  
"Oh! Well in that case it IS good to meet you." He said, holding his hand out. Kim removed the bowl of chips from her stomach, put them on the floor and stood up.  
  
"Yeah, you too. Lily said I should just make myself at home. I hope you don't mind." She said, shaking his hand.  
  
"No, not at all. I just...I didn't know you were staying with us. Lily didn't mention it." He chuckled, sitting down on the couch. Kim chuckled and sat back down next to him.  
  
"Oh, I'm not. I'm actually staying with my Aunt Rose, but Lily said I could hang here for a few hours." She said. James nodded, picked up the bowl form the floor and took a handful of chips.  
  
"That's alright. So, how did you find this place?" he asked. A dreamy expression suddenly came over Kim's face.  
  
"Your friend Remus brought me here on this massive purple bus." She said. James looked at her with interest.  
  
"Oh yeah. Good man him." He said, shoving a few chips in his mouth. Kim smiled and let out a sigh.  
  
"Tell me about it." She said, taking a handful of chips form the bowl. James chuckled, already knowing that sort of banter. James had no doubt that this girl wasn't going to be the only girl whose heart was broken by the mysterious Remus Lupin.  
  
"So, what are you watching?" he asked.  
  
"Starksy and Hutch." She said, her mouth half-full with chips.  
  
"Great, I missed it last week." James said, kicking his boots off.  
  
**  
  
"Padfoot, do I look alright?" Remus asked, taking his jumper off and throwing over the back of the chair. Sirius looked up from his book and smirked.  
  
"Oh Remus, you always look beautiful to me." He sighed. Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
"I'm serious! Do I?" he asked, looking down at himself. Sirius smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, of course you do. Why?" he asked. Remus tugged nervously on the hem of his shirt and shrugged.  
  
"Er, no reason." He said. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Remus, as long as you don't let on about your lack of manly chest hair, the girls will be lining up." He said, looking back down at his book. Remus let out a cry of disgust.  
  
"For you big fat information, I actually DO have manly chest hair." He said. Sirius laughed and marked his page.  
  
"You do not, you poof." He said. Remus glared at him and took his shirt off.  
  
"Get over here you tosser and look." He said, pointing at his left peck. Sirius chuckled, jumped out of his chair and leant close to Remus's chest. He squinted and ran a finger along his chest.  
  
"Where? Is it wearing a mini invisibility cloak?" he asked. Remus shoved him and Sirius stumbled slightly. "Look, this is chest hair." He said and took his shirt off also. He pushed his chest out proudly and displayed a perfectly toned chest without one trace of chest hair.  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Um, where?" he asked, puling his shirt back on.  
  
"Here, look!" Sirius said. Remus leant in as Sirius pointed out one single black hair lying just above his belly button. Remus snorted and stood up straight again.  
  
"That's a snail-trail Padfoot. Not chest hair." He said, turning around and heading towards the door. Sirius laughed and rubbed his stomach.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked as Remus pulled his jacket on.  
  
"Peters. His mother invited me over for Dinner tonight." He said. Sirius frowned.  
  
"Why only you?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips in disgust. Remus shrugged and put his keys in his pockets.  
  
"Dunno. I'll be back later." He said. Sirius nodded as Remus walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.  
  
Sirius sighed and looked around the living room. He scratched his chest and spun around, ready to walk into the kitchen for a chocolate frog, but there was someone standing there.  
  
"Allison?" he asked, not believing she was there. Allison looked at him with fear and determination.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
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* A/N – Oooh, the suspense. I quiver with fear. I hope you don't mind me taking a few quotes from various places and putting them in this chapter, but I thought it would be amusing.  
  
Please review! 


	11. Chapter 11

* Chapter 11. Thanks for reviewing guys. Here we go!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Sirius stared at Allison for a moment. He was trying to think very fast as to why in gods name she would be there. Finally, he let out the breath he didn't even realize he had been holding and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Um, alright then. Sit down." He said, indicating to the couch. Allison sighed, took her coat off and sat down on the couch. Sirius remained standing for a moment, before he sat down opposite her on the coffee table.  
  
For a while, there was an uncomfortable silence, where Sirius simply watched Allison looked everywhere else, waiting for an answer. Finally, she cleared her throat and tugged on the ends of her hair.  
  
"Sirius, I...I um...' she began looking rather nervous. Sirius smirked, watching her fuss. Finally she sighed and looked him in the eye. "Sirius, I want to know what happened that night.' She said. Sirius sat up straighter and looked down at her. She continued to look him square in the eye. "I'm listening." She said in a tone that said she was done talking.  
  
Sirius slouched again and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked at her, as if making sure that she was actually finally listening. He sighed, realizing he had her attention and sniffed.  
  
"Well, like I've said, some of it I don't remember.' He said. When Allison said nothing, he sighed and went on. "James and I went out celebrating our first week over at Auror training. We went back to that disco, you remember the one." He said. Allison smiled and nodded. "Yeah well, we were there for few hours. You know, just relaxing and having a good time. We er, had a few drinks, but I was still able to tell what was going on." He said defensively. Allison chuckled softly and he went on.  
  
"So, anyway, I went to the bar for a while and ...there was this girl. Now I didn't take any notice of her beforehand, until she offered to buy me a drink. Yeah, I know that's a signal of wanting to be picked up, but at the time I only saw it as a free drink." He said, shrugging. Allison shook her head and he chuckled.  
  
"Anyway, after that its all a bit hazy. I do remember James saying he wanted to leave though, and I told him to go on without me.' He said, frowning in concentration. "After that, I don't remember anything. The next thing after that, I wake up to find you standing at the bedroom door and...well, you know the rest." He said, scratching his chest lightly.  
  
Allison let a breath out through her nose and frowned.  
  
"You...don't remember taking her home?" she asked. Sirius shook his head.  
  
"No! I don't remember anything." He said. Allison looked around for a moment in thought, before she looked back up at him.  
  
"Did you leave her alone at any time? While you were at the disco?" she asked. Sirius looked at the floor and frowned again. He rubbed his forehead and squinted.  
  
"Um, I think I may have gone to the toilet once or twice." He said, sounding unsure. Allison leant closer to him.  
  
"And you left your drink with her?" she asked. Sirius looked at her and nodded. Allison's face suddenly contorted into one of disappointment and she groaned.  
  
"What? Is that bad?" he asked, looking at her with concern. Allison rubbed her eyes.  
  
"She spiked your drink." Allison said regretfully. Sirius raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She what?" he asked. Allison looked up at him and sighed.  
  
"She drugged you." She said simply. Sirius sat up slightly and groaned. Allison looked sympathetically at him. "Yeah, you got spiked." She said. Sirius let out an angry growl and hit his knee with his fist.  
  
"Now it all makes sense. Argh, how could I have been so fucking stupid?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.  
  
Allison simply looked up at him, not having anything to say at that time. She DID agree with him. Now it did all make sense. Allison cringed in disgust to herself. If only she had listened to him ages ago...  
  
"Sirius?" she asked. He looked down at her. "What happened... after I left?" she asked quietly. Sirius let out a slow breath and looked at the floor.  
  
"Well, that's kind of a blur too. And not because I was drugged or anything, but because I was so confused and...mad." He said in a low voice. "I threw her clothes at her and shouted at her to get out. I...didn't even know her name." He said, almost regretfully. Allison watched him recall the memory. "Then Remus came in a few minutes later." He said lightly.  
  
Allison stood up and turned her back to him. She wanted a few seconds to process all of this.  
  
"Sirius, if you don't remember what happened, then how do you know that...that you didn't...' she trailed off. Sirius sighed and stood up also. He turned her around and looked her in the eye again.  
  
"Because, I just KNOW." He said with urgency. She considered him for a moment. "Look, every time after I have sex, my...er...' he tailed off looking suddenly embarrassed.  
  
"Yes?" Allison pressed. Sirius sighed and looked at her again.  
  
"My ear itches. Really bad." He said bashfully. Allison stared at him with amazement, making sure he wasn't pulling her leg. But the look in his eye and his total embarrassment told her that he wasn't.  
  
"Your...ear itches." She said, trying to keep a straight face. Sirius smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, right here." He said, pointing to a spot on his right ear. "You never noticed?" he asked. Allison smiled and shook her head.  
  
"No. Why didn't you ever tell me about that?" she asked, her voice shaking. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Because I thought you'd laugh at me. Turns out I was right." He said poking her shoulder.  
  
"I'm not laughing at you." Allison said, shaking with suppressed giggles. Sirius snorted and shook his head. He waited a few moments for her go calm down, before he continued.  
  
"So anyway, I know because that morning my ear didn't itch at all. Not even a tingle." He said. "And plus, there wasn't that feeling of...satisfaction after-woods." He said, squirming slightly. Allison nodded.  
  
"Ah yes, the 'Sex Hang-over'." She said, smirking. Sirius chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. And I always felt that with you." He said. Allison looked at him and shivered under his intense stare. He leant closer to her and took her hands with his. "Allison, I KNOW I didn't sleep with that girl. I...I wouldn't do that." He said.  
  
And then she saw it. It was what James had been talking about. That desperate look in his eyes that held the truth. The truth that she had been too stubborn and angry to take any notice of. Finally, she believed him.  
  
"I believe you." She said voicing her thoughts in an almost surprised tone. Sirius sat up straighter and let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"You do?" he asked, looking at her with hope. Allison smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I do." She said softly. Sirius smiled broadly, closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Allison watched him and knew that he was most likely thanking god for her patience and belief in him. She chuckled and looked down at him. Her eyes widened with the realization that he was half-naked and had been so the entire time. And then she felt it. That wave of heat that only he could cause washed over her like a tidal wave. She sucked in a discreet gasp and suppressed an excited shudder.  
  
"Er, I think I'd better go." She said suddenly, pulling her hands out of his and backing away slowly. Sirius's eyes flew open and he looked at her with confusion.  
  
"But...but why?" he asked. He felt greatly disappointed that she was leaving now. He wanted to spend more time with her. He took a step towards her.  
  
"I er, I've got a er..." she stumbled around and excuse, backing away from him more. But Sirius continued to advance on her.  
  
"Allison, stay and talk. Moony's not due back for ages, so we wont be interrupted." He said. Allison chuckled nervously.  
  
"That's the problem." She muttered. Sirius continued advancing on her, before she had walked straight into a wall.  
  
"Allison, I just...'  
  
"No. Sirius, don't come any closer." She pleaded, holding her hands up. Sirius stopped inches from her and looked down at her with confusion.  
  
"Allison, what's wrong?" he asked. He was under the impression everything was taking a significant turn upwards with them. She looked around and let out a slow breath.  
  
"Sirius, look at me and take a wild guess." She said, looking at the floor. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and did so.  
  
Her breathing had increased significantly. She was starting to sweat. Sirius closed his eyes and sniffed. She was letting off a certain scent that told him...  
  
"Oh." He said, his eyes opening slightly. She smiled weakly and continued to look at the floor. Sirius suddenly felt a wave of heat pass over him. He hadn't been with a girl since he and Allison had broken up, and it wasn't until now that he realized how much he wanted her. "Well, it's not such a bag thing, is it?" he asked boldly, taking a step closer. Allison pressed herself against the wall.  
  
"Sirius, please...' she trailed off, not daring to look at him. She didn't know why all of a sudden she was so turned on by him. Was it the fact that she was no longer distanced from him by anger or resentment? At that very time she didn't know, and she was beginning to feel like she really didn't care.  
  
Sirius took another step towards her and drew in a long breath through his nose, taking her in. He loved the way she smelt.  
  
"Sirius, stop it." She whispered. Just him being so close to her was making her more turned on by the second. He pressed his cheek against her temple.  
  
"If you want to leave, then leave." He whispered, almost daring her. He moved his head down and pressed his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and gasped slightly.  
  
They stood there for what seemed an eternity. Sirius, no matter how badly he wanted to, did not lean in and kiss her. He wanted her to make the decision. He didn't want to push her.  
  
Finally, Allison ran her hands along his chest and slowly pushed him away from her. He took the hint and reluctantly stepped another three paces back, giving her a lot of room. He looked at her. She was breathing hard.  
  
"I'd better go." She said. Sirius crossed one leg over the other to try and hide his growing erection and folded his arms over his chest.  
  
"Alright." He said, his voice slightly hoarse. Allison pushed herself off the wall and looked at him with big eyes.  
  
"I'll...I'll call you. You have a phone don't you?" she asked. Sirius let out a slow breath.  
  
"Er...' he looked around at the phone on the farthest wall '...yeah. Yeah, we do." He said. Normally this wouldn't have been a hard question, but considering his present state, he didn't think he would be able to tell anyone what his name was.  
  
"Alright then." She said. Sirius watched her walk to the front door in a daze, open it slowly and look out into the street.  
  
'Stay. STAY!' his mind was screaming at her. But she gave him one final look, before walking out the door and closing it behind her.  
  
He let out a slow breath, uncrossed his legs and fell backwards over the arm of the couch. He flopped down on it with a grunt and closed his eyes. He knew she wanted him. And he definitely knew he wanted her. But maybe it was better this way. He didn't want it just to be 'Make-up' sex. He wanted it to be as if nothing had happened. As if they were still together.  
  
Finally, he got up, undressed fully and headed to the bathroom, ready for a nice, long, cold shower.  
  
***  
  
"Hello my beautiful. Having a good time doing jack shit?" Lily asked casually, flopping down on the bed next to James. He laughed, but did not look up from his book.  
  
"Well excuse me for being relaxed." He said, turning the page. Lily laughed, plucked the book out of his hands and threw it onto the floor. He looked at her with amazement as she laid her head on his chest and relaxed against him.  
  
"Now think for a moment, what would you really rather be holding? Me or the book?" she asked. James chuckled and wrapped his arm around her.  
  
"Well, there are advantages in both." He said. Lily snorted and hit him playfully.  
  
"Its not too late for me to remove this thing you know." She said in a threatening tone, holding her left hand up and flashing her ring at him. James laughed and kissed her hand.  
  
"You wouldn't dare." He said confidently. He linked his long fingers with hers. She nuzzled closer to him and let out a sigh of relaxation.  
  
"James?" she muttered.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Um, I just thought of something we haven't discussed yet." She said carefully. James looked down at her with interest.  
  
"Hmm?" he repeated. Lily shifted again.  
  
"Um, I was wondering if I could talk to you about the um...issue of children." She said. James stayed silent for a moment, before clearing his throat.  
  
"What about them?" he asked.  
  
"Do you...well...do you want any?" she asked. James frowned in thought.  
  
"Well, yeah. I mean, I've always thought the idea of being a dad appealing. Did you want kids?" he asked. Lily sat up and looked at him. She nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Being a mum doesn't sound too bad." She said smirking. James chuckled and then Lily went serious again. "But I er, I don't want any...right now." She said, laughing nervously. James's eyes widened.  
  
"Oh! Oh no, no way!" he said, sitting up also. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I'd like a few weeks alone with my wife before hand." He said. Lily laughed and kissed him softly.  
  
"Yes, until then we belong to only each other. Making love until we both pass out at least three times a day." She said, smirking. James laughed and looked at her with amazement.  
  
"Don't you think you'd get sick of me?" he asked. Lily smiled and ran a hand along his broad shoulder.  
  
"No way. I think I'd be more worried about you getting sick of me." She said. James snorted.  
  
"Never. You my vixen, I shall love and adore forever." He said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Lily smiled and kissed the palm of his hand.  
  
"Dido." She said simply. James laughed and reached for his wand on the bedside table.  
  
"Accio Brochures." He said, and the brochures from downstairs flew up the hall, into the room and landed obediently in James's hand.  
  
"Well, seen as we've cleared that up, lets look at these." He said, holding them up to Lily. She smiled, nodded and crawled up next to him on the bed.  
  
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* A/N – Yeah, I know there wasn't a lot of James and Lily, but I wanted to clear up a lot of the issues with Sirius and Allison. I hope you all don't mind!  
  
Please review! 


	12. Chapter 12

* Isn't it great to be at chapter 12? I really bow down at the feet of my faithful readers. Without you, there would be no meaning in life!  
  
************************************************************************  
  
James cast a loving glace down at Lily again for the 5th time that minute. Even now, it still amazed him that he had been blessed enough to be loved by this woman. She looked especially beautiful tonight. Her hair was up in a simple bun and she had very discreet make-up on, but it was enough for him.  
  
It was night, and the two of them were walking hand-in hand down the busy streets on central London. The night air was cool, but not cold. The smell of the city was a busy one that could only be experienced at certain times of the day. The lights of houses in the distance were winking at them periodically.  
  
James looked down at Lily again, but this time she noticed and looked back up at him.  
  
"What?" she asked, smiling. James smirked and shrugged.  
  
"Just admiring the view." He said. Lily chuckled and kissed his cheek.  
  
"The views in front of you dear." She said, pointing to the city in front of them. James shook his head and smiled.  
  
The two of them had decided to have a night out. They had not gone out on a 'date' for weeks, and figured they should treat themselves to one.  
  
"James?" Lily asked innocently.  
  
"Hmm?" he asked, smirking.  
  
"Where are we going for our honeymoon?" she asked. James smiled.  
  
"Ah, I was wondering when you would ask about that." He chuckled. Lily stopped walking and looked up at him excitedly.  
  
"So, where are we going?" she asked. James chuckled, kissed her softly and smirked.  
  
"It's a secret." He whispered. Lily hit him in outrage.  
  
"Oh come on! Please tell me? I'll still act surprised." She said. James laughed and shook his head.  
  
"Nope. Sorry, you'll just have to wait." He said. Lily crossed her arms over her chest and looked daringly up at him.  
  
"Fine. Don't tell me then. I'll ask Sirius. He'll crack." She said, and began walking off. James laughed and caught up with her with only a few strides.  
  
"Sirius doesn't know either." He said. Lily looked up at him for a moment, before she recovered and smiled cheekily.  
  
"Alright then, I'll ask...'  
  
"Neither do Remus or Peter. I haven't told them anything." He said, cutting her off. Lily frowned in confusion.  
  
"Why not?" she asked.  
  
"Because I know they'd crack if you probed them long enough." He said, chuckling. Lily laughed and linked her arm with his again.  
  
"Yes, that's true." She said airily. James laughed. "But can't you give me a hint? A clue? A tid-bit?" she asked. James shook his head and Lily sighed. "Alright then." She said. James laughed, not believing that she would give up for a second.  
  
They continued to walk in silence for a few moments, before James looked down at the girl on his arm again.  
  
"So, did Kim get back to your mum's alright?" he asked. Lily nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Although she wouldn't shut-up about all the 'sexy men I know'." She said, putting on an impression of Kim's voice. James chuckled and Lily shook her head. "She a bit boy crazy that one." She said. James chuckled and led Lily around the corner.  
  
"Yeah. You think she'll like Peter?" he asked. Lily snorted.  
  
"Kim likes anything without boobs. I'm just worried what she'll do when she sees Sirius." She said, shivering slightly. James laughed. If Kim thought Remus was good looking, he agreed with Lily. He didn't even want to imagine how she would react when she finally met his best friend.  
  
**  
  
Sirius walked up the path to Allison's house reluctantly. He stopped half- way up and thought for a moment. Was he doing the right thing? He shrugged, figuring it was too late to go home now and walked the remaining way to the front door.  
  
He pressed the doorbell happily and swung his arms at his side. There was a moment's silence, before the front door swung open to revel Allison's mother standing there. She looked very surprised to see him standing there.  
  
"Sirius?" she asked, stunned. Sirius smiled bashfully and nodded.  
  
"Hey Mrs. Jessup. Is Allison home?" he asked, looking over her shoulder. Mrs. Jessup stared at Sirius for a moment, before shaking herself and clearing her throat.  
  
"Um, that depends." She said, leaning against the door frame. Sirius sighed slightly. He had been expecting this reaction.  
  
"Mrs. Jessup, I was just...'  
  
"I think you'd better leave Sirius." She said. Sirius put his hands on the door.  
  
"No, Mrs. Jessup you don't understand. I just...'  
  
"OI!" roared a voice from inside the house. Sirius stumbled backwards as Allison's father strode past his wife, out the door and pointed his large rifle at Sirius's chest.  
  
"My wife told you to leave!" he said angrily. Sirius raised his hands in defense and continued to back away.  
  
"Sir really, I just wanted to...'  
  
"No. I've had enough of you making my daughters life miserable. Bugger of Black." He said, raising the gun.  
  
"Daddy, stop it!" Allison screamed, running out the door to her father. She grabbed the top of the gun and lifted it away from Sirius. "Daddy, what he hell are you doing?" she asked, looking at him with horror. Mr. Jessup looked at his daughter with confusion.  
  
"What? You mean you...er...' he stuttered. Allison sighed in frustration and shoved the gun away from her.  
  
"Honestly daddy. Its fine." She said irritably. Mr. Jessup looked between Sirius and Allison and sighed.  
  
"So you've er...made up have you?" he asked bashfully. Allison and Sirius both nodded. Mr. Jessup sighed and lowered the gun completely. "Sorry about that." He muttered to Sirius. Sirius chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"No problem. I guess." He said. Allison rolled her eyes, grabbed Sirius hand and led him past her parents, into the house and up the stairs.  
  
She didn't let go of him until they were in her room. She shut the door behind them and turned around to face him.  
  
"I'm SO sorry about that." She said, wiping her face. Sirius laughed and ran a shaky hand through his hair.  
  
"Oh no, that's alright." He said, although he was still feeling rather nervous. "But why does he have a gun? Couldn't he just use his wand?" he asked, sitting down on her bed. Allison's father was a wizard, but her mother was a muggle.  
  
"Well, he can't go brandishing a wand around in a muggle neighborhood now can he? Apparently a gun's the next best thing." She said, sounding slightly disgusted. Sirius smiled weakly, watching Allison fuss with the papers spread around her desk. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at the floor. Sirius sighed.  
  
"Well, I wanted to talk some more. About us. You left in such a rush the other day." He said, chucking. Allison snorted and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"Yeah well, I had my reasons." She said. Sirius, deciding to come back to it, changed the subject.  
  
"So, I guess I've been wondering if... if you wanted to um...' he mumbled, looking uncomfortable. Allison smiled.  
  
"Get back together?" she offered. Sirius smiled up at her and nodded. Allison sighed and sat down on the end of the bed next to him. "Sirius, I don't know. I mean, I've only recently just stopped despising you." She said, smirking. Sirius nodded.  
  
"You want more time?" he asked.  
  
"Is that alright?" she asked uncertainly. Sirius smiled and nodded.  
  
"Of course it is." He said, nudging her with his shoulder. Allison laughed and whacked his arm playfully. "I've waited months already. I think I can wait a few more." He said. Allison smiled.  
  
"It wont take me months Sirius. I just...need a while." She said. Sirius looked at her and nodded.  
  
And then she felt it again. That wave of heat that she had felt the last time. That feeling that was screaming at her to touch him. To get him to touch her. Her breathing increased as she stood up and backed away from him again.  
  
"Sirius, not too sound rude...but I think you should go." She said. Sirius looked at her with confusion.  
  
"Um, alright then. Can we talk again soon?" he asked, standing up. Allison nodded and took another small step backwards. She was very close to cracking. "Alright then. I'll er, see you around then." He said. He stepped forward, leant in and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Allison felt a massive tingle rush though her body.  
  
"Yep. See you." She breathed. Sirius smiled and disapparated in front of her.  
  
Allison let out a slow breath and sat back down on her bed. She felt extremely grateful that he had left when he did, as she was about to jump on him and do god knows what. She lay down on her back and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.  
  
She hated the way this was happening. She was reluctant to just have sex with him. She wanted to do things slowly. She wanted to trust him again, although that was slowly coming back on its own.  
  
But she did know that sooner or later, she was going to give into her feelings. And the naughty, secret part of her was hoping that it would be soon.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, James walked into the house, carrying a paper bag full of breakfast for him and Lily. She had woken him up at 8 in the morning, announcing that she had a sudden craving for pancakes, eggs and bacon. And seen as they were mostly out of everything, he had very reluctantly gotten out of bed, gone down to the local store and picked the stuff up.  
  
James walked into the kitchen, deposited the bag on the bench and ran a hand through his hair. He looked around the empty kitchen, wondering where she was.  
  
"Lily?" he called. He turned his head towards the staircase as the faint sound of music filled his ears. He raised an eyebrow, headed up the stairs and down the hallway. He followed the sound to the bedroom. He pressed his ear against the closed door for a second, before he slowly pushed it opened.  
  
He looked in silently and tried not to laugh.  
  
Their radio was playing some muggle rock song he didn't know very loudly in the corner and there, jumping on the bed with her hair up in a messy ponytail and in her bright pink pajamas, was Lily playing air guitar along with the music.  
  
James smiled and leant against the doorframe, watching her jump around to the music. She had her back to him and had obviously had not heard the door open. She was moving her hips around and swinging her arms very dramatically in time with the guitar strumming.  
  
Slowly, she began to turn around and when she finally did, she let out a scream and fell down on the bed. She brushed hair out of her face and looked up into the very amused face of James Potter, feeling rather embarrassed.  
  
"James! How...how long have you been standing there?" she asked, climbing off the bed and straightening her clothes. James chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"Long enough." He said. Lily smiled bashfully and cleared her throat.  
  
"So, er...did you get breakfast?" she asked, walking over to the radio. She turned it off and James watched her fuss around the room. He smiled, knowing she was trying to recover from her embarrassment.  
  
"Yep. It's down stairs. Care to come and get it? Or will I be stealing you from your ...adoring fans?" he asked, waving his hand at the photos on the walls she had been dancing in front off. Lily hit him in the arm playfully and stormed mockingly out of the room.  
  
"Shut up!" she called, walking down the hall. James laughed and followed her.  
  
Once they were settled down at the table with their plates full in front of them, James struck up conversation.  
  
"So, I figured that maybe we could go look at reception halls today. You know, the ones we looked at." He said. Lily nodded, taking a sip of her chocolate milk.  
  
"Mmm. It'll be good to get an inside view. And by the way, we finally got the RSVP from you great uncle Simon." She said, pointing to the pile of mail on the bench behind him.  
  
"Oh really, what'd it say?" he asked.  
  
"He said he can only make it to the wedding ceremony, not the reception. He said something about a new shipment of Fireballs coming in." she said. James's uncle was working in Romania with one of the Dragon shipment companies.  
  
"Oh bugger. Oh well, at least he'll see me marry you." He said, smiling lovingly at Lily across the table. She winked at him and took in a mouthful of her eggs.  
  
The wedding day was growing closer and closer, and each day they seemed to be getting more and more excited about their up-coming nuptials to each other. James for one, couldn't wait until they were finally married and he could officially call her his wife.  
  
He smiled as he watched her cut her bacon up and put it in her mouth in the dainty little way she did it. She noticed him watching her as she reached for the salt and smiled.  
  
"What now?" she asked, smiling. James chuckled and kissed her hand.  
  
"I love you." He said, giving her his most charming smile. Lily shivered and smiled.  
  
"I love you too." She said.  
  
He smiled, she blew him a kiss and they went back to eating their breakfast.  
  
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* A/N – well, there's a little limbo chapter for you. I hope you all enjoyed it.  
  
Please review! 


	13. Chapter 13

* Lucky Chapter 13. Ok, don't expect much from this one either. Just another meaningless one, but hopefully fun all the same!  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"Yes, that's right. No I...well yes but...oh alright then I'll hold." Lily said, rubbing her eyes. Kim snorted and changed the channel  
  
"No fun preparing huh?" she said, resting her feet on the table. Lily sighed impatiently, leant over and pushed Kim's feet of the table. Kim smiled apologetically.  
  
"Didn't aunt Joanne teach you any manners?" Lily whispered, holding the mouth end of the phone with her hand.  
  
"Oh yeah, good point." Kim said. She kicked her shoes off and then put her feet back up on the table. "Better?" she asked, smirking. Lily glared mockingly at her.  
  
"My patience is running low with you missy. Oh, no not you ma'am." She said, talking back into the phone. Kim chuckled and went back to watching the TV.  
  
Lily was on the phone to the florist, ordering the appropriate amount of flowers needed for both the wedding and the reception. They had finally decided on a combination of roses and lilies. James and her were aware that it was a very bizarre combination, but frankly they couldn't care less.  
  
"Yes that's right. So, how much was that?...Three hundred and what!?" Lily said, her voice rising slightly. Kim's head snapped around and she looked at Lily's shocked expression.  
  
"How much?" Kim asked outraged. Lily waved her hand at her to be quiet as she frowned into space.  
  
"Oh I see. Oh, well if he said that's alright...I didn't know he contacted you...yes, to that address. Alright, thank you. Bye." She said and hung up the phone. Kim sat up properly and looked at Lily write things down on the notepad in front of her.  
  
"So, what she say?" she asked. Lily sighed as she wrote down the last sentence.  
  
"Three hundred and seventy five dollars." She said, running a hand through her hair. Kim let out a low whistle.  
  
"Ouch. That's gotta hurt the back account." She said, wincing. Lily chuckled, left the pad on the bench and sat down next to her cousin.  
  
"Actually, it apparently doesn't. James is rather...well off." She said, resting her head in her hand and taking a sip of Kim's drink. Kim smirked.  
  
"Not to mention yumminess of the first order." She said casually. Lily laughed.  
  
"That's where we defiantly agree." She said.  
  
"Where is he anyway?" she asked, looking around.  
  
"School." Lily said simply. Kim chuckled and relaxed back into her chair as Allison apparated into the room, carrying something.  
  
"Hey." She said.  
  
"Hey. You got the dresses?" Lily asked, looking at the bundle in Allison's arms. Allison smiled and laid them down on the bench behind Lily.  
  
"You bet." She said without much enthusiasm. Lily frowned.  
  
"You alright?" she asked. Allison sighed and sat down next to Kim, opposite Lily. She didn't have to bother introducing Allison to Kim, as they had met years ago when Allison stayed over at Lily's for a while.  
  
"No I'm not. I'm tired, I'm up to my ears in work and I'm sexually frustrated as all hell." She said, letting her forehead fall onto the table with a THUMP.  
  
Lily and Kim looked at Allison with concern at the last bit.  
  
"You know what the best thing for that is?" Kim started, looking at Allison with sympathy. Lily cleared her throat.  
  
"Kim, a little privacy please." She said, indicating for Kim to go into the next room. Kim sighed as Allison lifted her head.  
  
"Hey sure. I'll just let the grown-ups talk shall I?" she said. She stood up, gave Allison one last look and slowly left the room.  
  
"Sexually frustrated? Why now after all this time?" Lily asked once Kim was out of earshot. Allison shrugged.  
  
"Buggered if I know! One minute we were just talking, and then the next...'  
  
"Whoa, wait a minute. Who's 'we'?" Lily asked, looking at Allison with interest. Allison squirmed a little.  
  
"Sirius." She said. Lily sat up a little straighter.  
  
"Are you and Sirius back together?" she asked, trying not to smile. Allison sighed.  
  
"No. Not officially. We're just friends." She said. Lily deflated significantly and nodded.  
  
"Oh, alright then. Go on." She said.  
  
"Well like I said, we were just talking and then all of a sudden I just got all...hot." She said, sighing happily. Lily smiled as Allison shivered with the memory. "And now its like I cant even be in his presence without wanting to do something very...VERY inappropriate." She said, smirking. Lily chuckled.  
  
"And this is a bad thing? I mean, its not like you two have never done it before." She said. Allison laughed.  
  
"Yeah, that's true. But I don't just want to...well you know. Something's holding me back." She said. Lily nodded in understanding. "Oh listen to me, babbling on to you. I'm so bloody selfish." Allison said, chuckling. Lily laughed.  
  
"Are you kidding? I practically live out all these experiences through you." She said. Allison smiled.  
  
"How is that going anyway? You're whole 'celibacy until married' thing you and James are doing?" she asked. Lily sighed.  
  
"Its...cracking." She said regretfully. "I mean, just this morning he walked into the room, just freshly out of the shower. I didn't see anything, he had a towel on!" Lily said defensively at Allison's expression. "But just the sight of him. He had water droplets trickling down his chest and...mmm." She groaned, closing her eyes at the memory. Allison chuckled.  
  
"And you know how I prefer a mans chest than his...other things." Lily said, smiling bashfully. Allison laughed.  
  
"Lily, once you finally get around to being with James sexually, you wont just find his chest the most appealing asset." She said.  
  
Lily laughed and went to comment when the phone rang. She sighed, went over to it and picked the receiver up.  
  
"Yellow? Oh hi mum...no I'm not busy. Is there something important you wanted?" she asked. Allison quirked an eyebrow as she listened in on Lily's conversation. Lily looked into space.  
  
"Um, I guess so. I'll bring Kim back shall I? OK then, see you in a bit." She said and hung up the phone.  
  
"What she want?" Allison asked.  
  
"She wants to see me. Right now." Lily said, walking over to the sink to get her wand, which was left there from her washing the dishes. "Kim?" she called.  
  
"Yeah?" Kim said, walking back into the room.  
  
"Allison, can you go summon the Knight Bus please? Kim, we're going to my mothers." She said. Kim looked confused, but put her shoes on anyway.  
  
"Why?" she asked. Lily shrugged, waited until Kim had both shoes on and then the both of them went outside to wait with Allison.  
  
"I guess we'll find out soon enough."  
  
**  
  
"Ah good. You're here. Come in!" Rose Evans said, standing aside to let Lily, Allison and Kim into the house. Rose closed the door behind them and looked at Lily with complete seriousness.  
  
"Yeah, I came as fast as I could. What's the emergency?" Lily asked. Rose said nothing, but beckoned the three other women to follow her. Lily gave Allison a look, before they followed her mother down the hall and into the kitchen.  
  
"Sit down." Rose said, pointing at the small dining table. Lily looked at it and frowned at the other person sitting there.  
  
"Petunia? Mum, what's going on?" she asked, sitting down next to her sister. Allison and Kim both stood on the other side of the bench, out of the way. Rose sighed and leant against the back of the chair in front of her.  
  
"Lily, have you been at Petunia's house lately?" she asked. Lily frowned, looked at Petunia next to her and then back up at her mother.  
  
"Yeah. Why?" she asked. Petunia sniffed indignantly next to her and Rose shifted again.  
  
"Petunia said you threatened her." She said. Lily looked at Petunia with shock.  
  
"What a load of shit!" she cried outraged.  
  
"Lily!" Rose said, looking at her daughter with surprise.  
  
"Well it is! I would never threaten Petunia or anyone else." She said defensively.  
  
"You came over to MY house, and threatened to use...that thing!" Petunia said, speaking finally. Lily looked angrily at her sister.  
  
"Petunia, did you really think I was actually going to do it? You know I wouldn't do that!" she said, hurt evident in her voice.  
  
"Never the less, I have told you not to...'  
  
"Alright girls. Calm down!" Rose said, breaking up the fight. Lily and Petunia glared at each other for a moment, before the turned away from each other.  
  
"Look, all I did was a little teasing. It's not my fault she can't take a joke." Lily said, her arms crossed over her chest. Rose sighed and ran a hand through her short red hair.  
  
"Petunia, can't you tell by now when Lily is teasing you?" she asked exasperated. Petunia sniffed again.  
  
"Doesn't make it anymore right." She said. Rose took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if trying very hard not to loose her temper.  
  
"Lily, can you please apologize to Petunia so we can move on?" she asked.  
  
"What! Why should I have to...'  
  
"Lily." Rose said threateningly, cutting her off. Lily grit her teeth for a moment, before she let out a breath and turned to her sister.  
  
"I'm sorry. I was only having a little fun. You KNOW I wouldn't actually do anything to you." She said sincerely. Petunia looked at her sister and considered her for a moment.  
  
"Very well. Just respect my wishes next time if you happen to just...drop around." She said stiffly. Lily snorted and nodded.  
  
"I think I can do that." She said, her anger evaporating.  
  
"Aw, isn't sibling rivalry cute?" Allison said, resting her head against Kim's.  
  
"Its picture perfect." Kim said dramatically. Lily snorted as Rose rolled her eyes.  
  
"Shut-up you too." She chuckled. Lily laughed and stood up.  
  
"Well, is there anything else you wanted to clear up mother?" she asked. Rose opened her mouth to answer, when there was a faint 'pop' and a very worried looking James Potter appeared at Rose's side, looking around madly.  
  
"James? What on earth are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?" Lily asked, ignoring Petunia's worried whimper behind her. James looked slightly out of breath.  
  
"Oh, HERE you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." He said, finally spotting her.  
  
"Why? James, what's wrong?" she asked, closing the distance between them.  
  
"I need you. We're needed. The ministry's calling everyone capable." He said quickly. Lily was now very worried.  
  
"What? Why?" she asked.  
  
"The Dementors. They're rebelling." He said. Lily's mouth dropped open and Allison was at her side in a second.  
  
"They're what! How the hell did that happen?" she asked, slightly hysterically.  
  
"No-one knows! All of a sudden they just stared leaving their posts." He said, running a hand through his hair. "We need all the Patronus's we can get to put them back." He said, looking at Lily and Allison.  
  
"W-what's a Dementor?" Kim asked, looking worried.  
  
"They guard the wizard prison Azkaban. They're not very pleasant." Lily said over her shoulder.  
  
"Have they...kissed anyone yet?" Allison asked, shivering with the thought of it.  
  
"No, luckily they haven't. But if we don't get out there soon...' James trailed off, looking worried. Lily sighed decisively and nodded.  
  
"Ok, I'm coming. Allison?" she asked. Allison nodded determinedly next to her.  
  
"You know I wouldn't ask you if it weren't desperate. But not many people can perform a corporeal Patronus and...'  
  
"I know. You don't want me to get hurt. I'll be fine." Lily said, cutting James off. She smiled at him reassuringly and turned to her family. "I'll be back later. I'll check in to let you know I'm ok." She said. Rose hugged her firmly.  
  
"Be careful." She said. Lily nodded, pulled back from her mother and smiled.  
  
She gave one last reassuring smile to her family, and then she, James and Allison disapparated within seconds.  
  
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* A/N – Oooh, action sequences! I hope you don't mind me chucking one in there.  
  
Please review! 


	14. Chapter 14

* Well, this is going to be a bit of an action chapter. I mean, what wedding doesn't have a bit of drama right? Even if it is rebelling Dementors!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The first thing Lily experienced the second she apparated in front of Azkaban, was the stench. I was the smell of rotting flesh and grinded bones. Lily choked back a cough, as James was already making his way over to a group of Aurors. She followed and looked out at the fortress across the bay.  
  
It was silhouetted against the moon, but it did not have a graceful beauty about it like Hogwarts. It gave off the feeling of death and insanity.  
  
"Ah good. Two more. Black! Get over here!" Moody barked. He looked at James, Lily and Allison as they walked over. Sirius ran over to Moody's side, Remus running along behind him. There was a large group of wizard gathered behind them, their wands out ready. They were all looking apprehensively at the prison.  
  
"James! What the hell are they doing here?" Sirius said harshly, looking at Allison and Lily.  
  
"I beg your pardon!" Lily and Allison said together in outrage.  
  
"Sirius, if you can suggest more people who can perform a corporeal Patronus in about oh say...5 seconds, I'll gladly go and get them!" James snapped impatiently. Sirius gritted his teeth and stayed silent.  
  
"Will you two shut up and get over with the others?" Moody barked again and walked off. Sirius frowned and spun around. He stormed off and Remus, giving Allison and Lily one last apologetic smile, followed.  
  
Allison let out an angry cry of annoyance and followed Sirius, fuming. James sighed and looked down at Lily.  
  
"Look, I really don't know if you being here is...'  
  
"Shut up." She said, cutting him off. "You need me here." She said, looking around. James looked worriedly down at her. She smiled, reached up and kissed him rather deeply. She pulled back reluctantly and smiled up at him.  
  
"I'll be fine." She said, stroking his face softly. James smiled weakly, and then the two of them walked over to join the group.  
  
**  
  
"Sirius! Don't you ignore me dammit!" Allison said, following Sirius. Finally, he stopped, sighed and turned around to face her.  
  
"Allison, go home." He said. Allison flared up.  
  
"Why?" she asked, trying to keep calm.  
  
"Because its dangerous here! I don't want you getting hurt!" he said.  
  
"Oh that's right. I'll just leave it to the 'men', shall I?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Sirius frowned down at her.  
  
"Get out of your bad mood." He said. Allison glared at him.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I should." She said, folding her arms over her chest. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and got his wand out.  
  
"Cause you can't produce a Patronus while your mad, can you?" he said smugly. Allison stared at him for a moment, before relaxing.  
  
"Your right. Sorry." She said, getting her wand out. Sirius sighed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, its alright." He said. He went to say something else, when...  
  
"EVERYONE LINE UP!" came a voice. Everyone tensed up and formed a line along the shore. They all stood there with intense concentration, their wands raised. Each of them was waiting to see them. Waiting for that signal that told them that they were coming. The sea breeze was slightly chilly and made everyone shiver not just with cold, but wit anticipation. It was too quiet for comfort.  
  
"Where are they?" Lily whispered next to James. He squinted off into the distance.  
  
And then they felt it. That wave of coldness, stripping them of every emotion they possessed.  
  
'No!' Lily thought determinedly. She frowned and closed her eyes, thinking of something happy. She was marrying James in a few weeks. They were going to be married...she would be his wife...  
  
"Wait for it!" Moody called. Everyone was struggling against the cold as the cloaked figures slowly made their way to the shore, gliding effortlessly over the waves.  
  
"Ready...Ready...NOW!" Moody cried.  
  
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" they all bellowed at once.  
  
It was an explosion of white light such as had not been seen in a great many years. The entire area was illuminated with the release of dozens upon dozens of Patronus's.  
  
They flew, galloped, cantered, slithered and ran towards the hundreds of Dementors, making many of them recoil back towards the fortress behind them. But it wasn't enough. Many of them were bypassing them and continuing on their way towards land.  
  
"Pull back!" someone yelled. The wizards all took fast steps backwards; trying with everything they had to stay out of the Dementor's grasp.  
  
Within seconds, the remaining Dementors, about 20, had landed gracefully on shore. They spread out and started edging towards people.  
  
Lily stumbled as she fought a loosing battle against the cold slowly washing over her. Her Patronus flew back over to her and hovered obediently in front of her. Lily chanced a look around at the surroundings.  
  
Many people were stumbling over themselves in an attempt to get away from the Dementors. And although the wizards outnumbered them at about 3:1, they were still causing a lot of trouble.  
  
Lily looked at James. He was standing with Sirius, their backs against each other and their faces set. Allison was standing a short distance away from them with Remus and she seemed to be handling things well.  
  
Many of the surrounding wizards were stumbling over themselves, trying desperately to keep a good distance away. About a third of the Dementors were making their way back across the ocean and out of sight.  
  
Lily pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face, her cloak whipping around her body as she scanned the scene.  
  
And then she heard it. The rattling breath of a Dementor. She spun around and looked up into the faceless form of the cloaked figure, mere feet away from her.  
  
"No." she said, her strength fading. "No, get back!" she snapped, pointing her wand at it. Her phoenix Patronus flew in front of it as if it were in slow motion. The Dementor was not deterred by its presence and continued to make its way towards her, pointing a scabby finger at her.  
  
"No. I'm...I'm marrying him..." she said weakly. The Dementor drew in another rattly breath and Lily's legs went out underneath her. She fell into the grass in a heap and crawled backwards, trying to get away from it.  
  
Suddenly, Lily stared hearing the voices in her head. Voices of her sister, calling her a freak...Snape calling her a worthless Mudblood...  
  
"James..." Lily called in a scratchy voice, trying to shout out. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper as the Dementor closed in on her. She pointed her wand up at it. The Phoenix flew halfway, before it flickered and died. Lily cried out weakly in frustration.  
  
"No. Expecto...Expecto Patronum...' Lily said weakly.  
  
Her vision was becoming clouded. She could smell the Dementor's breath...  
  
**  
  
"Sirius, over there!" James yelled over the cries of the surrounding Wizards, pointing at a group pr Dementors in the distance.  
  
"Got it!" he called back and he and his Patronus Dog ran off towards the group.  
  
James took the opportunity to look around. His eyes were searching the scene for that familiar flash of red hair. He squinted around, looking frantically. Where was she?  
  
He looked over to a distant patch of grass and his breath caught in his throat. She was on the ground... her Patronus had just died.... It was bending down and reaching out for her.  
  
"Lily." He muttered, horrified beyond comprehension. Suddenly, a wave of determination washed over him such as he had never felt before. "No." he said strongly. He sprinted over, pushing his way through the crowd.  
  
"LILY, NO!" he screamed. The Dementor had her in its scabby hands.  
  
"EXPECTO PATRONUM! He roared. The familiar light burst extravagantly from his wand and his magnificent Stag bust out of the end of it and galloped over to Lily, James in tow.  
  
"FUCK OFF YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he roared. And just as the Dementor was going to lean in and kiss her, James's stag caught it around the middle and shoved it harshly a good distance away from her. "FUCK OFF!" James yelled and without even thinking if it was even possible to even physically do so, he grabbed its wrist with his left hand, swung his right fist forward and smacked the Dementor in the side of the head.  
  
It stumbled significantly to the side as James's Patronus took over. It drove the Dementor back out to the sea and it joined the rest of them as they reluctantly made their way back to the fortress.  
  
"Lily? Oh god no." James said. He threw his wand aside, fell down on his knees next to her and lifted Lily's limp body into his arms. "Lily? Honey wake up." He whispered. She did not respond. She was very pale and her red hair was showing up amazingly against her skin.  
  
James pressed his forehead against Lily's and squeezed his eyes shut. A single tear escaped his eye, ran down his nose and landed in the middle of Lily's lips.  
  
"Lily! Christ James, is she alright?" came Sirius's voice. James didn't look up as a small crowd gathered around the two of them. James lifted his head slowly and stroked Lily's face.  
  
"Come on Lil's. Wake up." He whispered, pleading with intensity. "Please Lily." He said.  
  
"James, maybe she's..."  
  
"NO!" James roared, looking daggers up at Remus. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!" he said, glaring at his best friend. Remus flinched under James stare, before James looked back down at Lily.  
  
He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. He was pleading with all his might for her to wake up. For her just to move.  
  
Then finally, after another 30 agonizing seconds, Lily's face screwed up and she groaned. James let out a sigh of relief and held her close.  
  
"Oh, thank you. Thank you." He whispered, kissing her forehead. Lily stirred and her eyes fluttered open.  
  
"James?" she muttered weakly, looking up at him with her eyes barely open. James chocked out a laugh and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, its me. You're alright." He said. Lily smiled weakly and groaned again. "Someone get some chocolate!" he called over his shoulder. He heard the sound of feet moving on the grass as he helped Lily sit up more.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, looking around.  
  
"Just sit still honey." He said, stroking her hair. "You're ok." He whispered, more to himself than to her. He kissed her softly on the forehead again. He could taste her sweat.  
  
"Did...did we win?" she whispered, grasping the shirt of his sleeve. James chuckled and sniffed back his tears.  
  
"Yeah. We won." He said. Lily smiled weakly and sat up a little more.  
  
"I'm so cold." She said, shivering to emphasize the point.  
  
"Here, give her this." Allison said, bending down next to James with a large block of chocolate. He took it off her, broke a piece off and fed it to Lily. She chewed it slowly and swallowed. As soon as she did so, it was as if a new bolt of energy had passed through her. Her strength had come back and she began pushing herself off the ground.  
  
"Here, I'll help." James said, grabbing her arm. Lily leant against him and stood up. A bit wobbly, but still stable.  
  
"You alright?" Allison said, looking at Lily with concern. She had, by the looks of it, also fallen over as her clothes were quite dirty. Lily smiled at her and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said. She bent down, picked up her wand and looked around at the surrounding group. They were looking at her with concern.  
  
"Well, I think they're stable for now. Potter, if you want to take Lily home...' Moody trailed off, making his way through the group. James nodded and wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders.  
  
"But...what if they come back? You need more people who can...'  
  
'No." James said firmly, cutting Lily off. "You need rest. Come on, let me take you home and...'  
  
"James, I'm fine!" Lily said irritably, slapping his hands away. But as soon as he let go of her, she stumbled and would have fallen over if Remus had not have caught her. She sighed and looked up at James with shining eyes, still holding onto Remus.  
  
"No, you 5 go home. I think we've got it under control." Moody said, wiping his face tiredly with his hands. They nodded as he walked off, leaving them alone.  
  
"You fine to apparate?" James asked, taking Lily's weight off Remus. She nodded and shivered again.  
  
"Yeah, I am. I'll see you guys later." She said, looking around at the others. They all smiled and she disappeared with a 'pop'. James lingered for a moment and looked at Remus guiltily.  
  
"Sorry about snapping at you." He said bashfully. Remus smiled and clapped James on the back.  
  
"Its alright James. Go home and take tare of her." He said. Sirius hugged James and then he disapparated seconds later. Sirius looked around at Remus and Allison and sighed.  
  
"Well come on, lets get the hell out of here." He said. Remus and Allison laughed and they al disapparated.  
  
**  
  
"Here, just get in!" James laughed, pointing at the freshly filled bath. Lily rolled her eyes and chuckled.  
  
"James honestly, I'm fine." She said. James smiled, picked her up and carried her over the threshold of the bathroom. "James!" she squealed, wriggling in his arms. He laughed, set her down on the bathmat and kissed her softly.  
  
"Just have a nice bath. You'll feel better." He said. Lily smiled at him and sighed.  
  
"Oh all right. I give!" she said, taking her sweater off to show she was going to get in. James smiled and stroked her hair. He looked at her intensely, all humor gone as he thought about how close he had come to being without her.  
  
"I thought I lost you today." He said, going completely serious. Lily looked at his worried expression and stroked his cheek.  
  
"You won't loose me." She said soothingly. James clenched his jaw.  
  
"I wouldn't have gotten over it. Ever." He said in a final tone. Lily kissed him deeply, trying to reassure him in a way that words could not.  
  
"Promise me something." She said, pulling back. James looked down at her desperately.  
  
"Anything." He said. Lily stroked his cheek with her thumb, feeling his stubble.  
  
"We die together. The same time...the same day." She said, looking him intensely in the eye. "No living alone without the other." She whispered, kissing the tip of his chin. James closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, enjoying the feeling of her lips slowly making their way along his jaw.  
  
"I promise." He whispered back. He ran has hands along both sides of her face, leant in and kissed her softly. "You have a nice bath." He said, his eyes still closed as he rested his forehead against hers. Lily smiled.  
  
"I will. Thank you." She said. James looked at her, winked and left her alone in the bathroom without another word.  
  
Lily looked down at the soapy miniature pool behind her, sighed and began stripping...the mushy love feeling he had given her still pulsing through her body.  
  
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*A/N – You know, now that I think about it, that was a totally irrelevant chapter. But, I wanted to try and give out the impression of the sort of love James and Lily have. That desperation for the other so intense that you'd be broken if you had to live without the other.  
  
Please review! 


	15. Chapter 15

* Chapter 15! Ok, you guys have to tell me if this is going too slow. I don't want to make this a boring story!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"So, have you started planning James's bachelor party yet?" Allison asked, taking a sip of her Butterbeer. Sirius chuckled and rested his feet on the coffee table.  
  
"I've been planning it since we were 15 and he first realized he actually loved Lillian." He said, running a hand through his hair. Allison snorted and threw a piece of popcorn at Sirius's awaiting open mouth.  
  
"Poor Lily. Oh, she despised him something shocking for years! It was amazing how much James persisted. How come he never got the point?" she said. Sirius shrugged.  
  
"Well, lucky he didn't huh?" he said, throwing a piece of popcorn at Allison. It hit her in the head and she laughed.  
  
Allison and Sirius had organized to set a few hours aside in which they could finally collaborate about their plans for the soon-to-be married couple. They're most recent discussion was about Allison's ideas for a hen's night for Lily.  
  
"So, are you going to have strippers like us?" Sirius asked. Allison shook her head.  
  
"No. I know Lily wouldn't like that. She's a bit of a prude like that.' She said jokingly. Sirius laughed and Allison took another handful of popcorn from the bowl in her lap. "And plus, Kim's there, and she's only young." She said. Sirius snorted.  
  
"Young? She's nearly 17!" he said. Allison smirked and threw more popcorn at him.  
  
"That's not the point." She said. Sirius smiled and took another sip of his drink.  
  
Allison watched him look around bored for a moment. Privately, she was very proud of herself for so far not having the urge to do anything inappropriate with him, but she wondered how long that would last. The two of them alone at Sirius's place was not a safe combination.  
  
"Have you ever been to a wedding before?" Allison asked.  
  
"Yeah, my cousin Andromeda's. It was fantastic! She really married a great guy. They had a daughter a few years ago. Wanna see a picture? It's a bit old." he asked. Allison nodded and smiled as Sirius whipped his wallet out of his pocket, opened it and showed her a picture of a woman who could only be his cousin. She was sitting on an armchair with her husband behind it, stroking the sleeping toddler's hair in her lap.  
  
"Oh, how cute. What's her name?" she asked.  
  
"Nymphadora." He said proudly. Allison raised an eyebrow and Sirius laughed. "Yeah I know. Strange name huh?" he asked, putting his wallet back. Allison laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. But, I thought you weren't in contact with any of your family anymore." She said, feeling a bit confused.  
  
"Nah, I'm not. Andromeda's the only one I talk to. She's like me. A rebel." He said, smirking. Allison snorted and nodded.  
  
Sirius watched Allison play with her hair. He didn't know how much longer he would have to wait for her to make a decision, but he was prepared to be patient. Even though it was something he wasn't terribly good at.  
  
There was a long silence between the two of them, until Sirius shook himself and noticed that Allison's mug was empty.  
  
"You er, want more coffee?" he asked. Allison leant forward to look in her cup and nodded.  
  
"Sure." She said. She stood up, picked her cup up off the coffee table and followed Sirius into the kitchen.  
  
"Here, I'll do it." He said, holding his hand out. Allison shrugged and handed the mug to him. He smiled, turned around to the bench and began heating the kettle with his wand.  
  
"So, where IS Remus anyway?" she asked, leaning against the bench, watching him work.  
  
"Dunno. He said something about going to work. I didn't even know he HAD a job." Sirius said. Allison frowned.  
  
"That's rather mysterious." She said, going to the cupboard for some sugar.  
  
"Tell me about it. And plus, all the nice clothes he keeps coming home in...I mean, where's he getting all this stuff from?" he asked, looking at Allison. She shrugged and handed him the sugar.  
  
"Have you asked him about it?" she asked. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Yeah. He was really evasive. He's keeping a secret...again!" he said, frowning slightly. Allison snorted and bumped Sirius out of the way with her hip so she could continue making her coffee.  
  
"What was that for?" he asked, poking her in the side. Allison squirmed and laughed.  
  
"I make it a special way." She said pompously. Sirius snorted.  
  
"Since when?" he asked. Allison smirked.  
  
"Since now." She said, hitting him in the chest with the teaspoon. Sirius pushed her out of the way and without even realizing it, backed her up against the sink.  
  
"Didn't bother you before." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Allison laughed and walked around him.  
  
"That's because I didn't want to scar your already jumbo ego." She said, picking up the mug. Sirius walked in front of her and took the mug from her.  
  
"Excuse me, I do not have a jumbo sized ego. It's a large, not jumbo." He said, as if the whole idea were a large insult to his self-image. Allison snorted, rolled her eyes and walked around him. He put the mug down and followed her into the living room. The sun was setting outside and he had to turn the lamps on as he walked past them.  
  
"You staying for dinner?" he asked. Allison shrugged.  
  
"Depends on what you're having." She said, turning lamps on also.  
  
"Probably take-out. Chinese maybe." He said, smirking. Allison laughed and hit him on the arm.  
  
"Don't you ever get sick of that stuff?" she asked. Sirius smiled and shook his head.  
  
"I'm compensating for all the years I've been deprived of it." He said. Allison chuckled and looked at him. It took her a moment before she finally realized what she was doing. The entire time she had been at his house, she had been flirting with him! And he had been doing it back! Had he realized? Was he as oblivious to it as she was?  
  
Sirius noticed her shift in mood and frowned.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" he said. Allison shifted uncomfortably under his stare. He was giving her that look again that made her heat up involuntarily.  
  
"Just...I just realized something." She muttered. Sirius took a step towards her.  
  
"What?" he asked. He continued to step towards her, but this time, Allison wasn't backing away.  
  
"I...er...' she stuttered, looking for an excuse. Too many things were going on at once for her to be able to find an acceptable lie to tell him.  
  
"You're not backing away this time." Sirius said softly, taking another step towards her. Allison shivered and swallowed.  
  
"No, I'm not." She said, her voice shaking. Sirius stepped up right in front of her and looked down at her, his eyes full of many messages she couldn't read.  
  
"Are you going to leave?" he asked, leaning closer. Allison closed her eyes. Her breathing had increased dramatically.  
  
Sirius licked his lips and moved in closer. He could feel her breath on his lips. Oh how he just wanted to lean in...  
  
"Sirius...' Allison whispered, trailing off. It was taking everything Sirius had to keep his head. There was a fire burning inside him that he had nearly forgotten existed. It only ignited around her, and there was only one way to put it out.  
  
"Ask me." He whispered, his lips mere centimeters from hers. Allison licked her lips. "Ask me." Sirius repeated.  
  
Finally, after 10 agonizing seconds, Allison whispered the words he had been waiting to hear.  
  
"Kiss me." She breathed.  
  
That was all it took, as Sirius finally leant in and pressed his lips softly against hers. At first, it was a simple and gentle kiss, but this only lasted a few seconds as Allison threw her arms around Sirius neck and pressed her small body against his as much as was physically possible.  
  
Sirius moaned and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, his lips kissing her with more urgency. He lifted her off the ground and spun around with her. He backed her up against the nearest wall and let his hands wander along her familiar body.  
  
Allison mentally thanked him for pushing her against this wall, as she had the feeling her legs were about to give out. She let his hands wander anywhere and everywhere, except the places that she wanted most. She groaned in slight annoyance at the fact that they were wearing too many layers. She slipped her hands underneath his shirt and pulled his swiftly over his head, tossing it somewhere on the floor. She ran her hands along his chest as she continued to kiss him.  
  
Sirius slid his hands skillfully along her chest and began undoing the buttons of her shirt, each one taking apparently forever to be undone. He slipped it off her shoulders, kissed his way down her chin and began sucking on her neck. He felt her shiver and heard her moan as he licked the sensitive area of her neck he knew drove her crazy.  
  
Allison felt Sirius lips curve into a smile as she ran her hands through his hair, down his head and along his shoulders. He stopped (much to Allison's displeasure), and looked up at her, his eyes full of desire.  
  
"If...If you want...' he breathed.  
  
"Shh" Allison said, pressing her finger against his lips. She kissed him softly along his jaw, sucking in various places. "No talking." She whispered against his throat. Sirius closed his eyes and let her lips work their way down his neck to his collarbone.  
  
"No talking." He repeated hoarsely. He knew why this was the case. If she began talking, she would most likely find a way to talk herself out of it. Sirius haltered her progress down his chest, brought her head up and kissed her properly again. He pushed himself against her and ground his pelvis against her.  
  
They both groaned as Sirius's erection made Allison's arousal become more intense by the minute. He stopped reluctantly and ran his hands along her sides. Allison jumped up, wrapped her legs around his waist and Sirius carried her into his bedroom, kissing her frantically the whole way.  
  
***  
  
Lily was outside in the setting sun; trying very hard to plant her new batch of Tulips she had bought the other week. The lack of light was off- putting, but she was very motivated to be gardening for some reason.  
  
"Lily, get inside! You can't see a bloody thing!" James called out the kitchen window. Lily laughed, wiped her forehead with the back of her gloved hand and sat up straight.  
  
"Alright. I'll be right in!" she called back. She looked down at her bulbs, decided James was probably right and walked into the house, throwing her gloves over her shoulder as she was just about to walk into the house.  
  
James wasn't in the kitchen, nor was he in the living room, the bathroom or the laundry. He was in the bedroom, listening to the radio, his eyes closed. She smiled and walked up to him. He was sitting in his favorite chair next to the window.  
  
"How did you get up here so quick?" she asked, sitting on his lap. James smiled, but didn't open his eyes.  
  
"Skill my love. Skill." He said simply. Lily chuckled, kissed him on top of the head and looked out the window.  
  
She could definitely see why this was his favorite spot in the entire house. The view was rather wonderful. The sun set perfectly over the hills in the distance, making the sky glow orange and pink.  
  
Lily looked down at James and went to say something, when she stopped abruptly at his facial expression. He was looking at her chest, which was situated right in front of his face, his eyes wide. Lily suddenly felt him shift uncomfortably under her. She was wearing a light top and it must have been giving him a good view.  
  
"Oh James. I'm sorry." She said, jumping off his lap as it he had pinched her. James swallowed and stood up also.  
  
"No, that's alright. I know you weren't deliberately flashing your boobs at me. Not that I would complain if you did." He said, smirking. Lily chuckled, but she was still a bit wary of the look he was still giving her.  
  
There was a moment's uncomfortable silence where the two of them would just stare at each other. Lily cleared her throat and ran a hand nervously over the top of her chest.  
  
"Er, so I'll get tea ready shall...' but Lily didn't get to finish as James had crossed the room in three long strides, grabbed her and kissed her very deeply.  
  
Lily moaned and fell rather dramatically into his arms. She had that weak feeling in the knees again and couldn't care less if she seemed desperate or not. He had not kissed her like his for ages.  
  
James ran his hands up her sides slowly, making Lily shiver. He felt her jump slightly and it took him a moment to realize why. He had accidentally let his hand rub against her breast. He was quite sure that that had never happened to her before, otherwise she probably wouldn't have been so surprised.  
  
There was a small voice in Lily's head telling her to stop. But she wasn't listening to it at all. James, although he was still very reluctant about where he touched her, was making her skin tingle and her core shake. She pulled him backwards and before she knew it, they had hit the bed and they both fell down onto it.  
  
Lily laughed into James mouth and James moved hi way down her chin and began kissing her neck. She moaned softly and ran her hands through his hair. James knew he should stop. He had to stop. They were very close to loosing it completely. But she smelt so good. Her hair smelt like lavender and there was a faint hint of the smell of freshly cut grass about her.  
  
"James." Lily moaned as James continued sucking on her neck and running his hand along the side of her body. Suddenly, James pulled back extraordinarily fast and looked down at Lily beneath him.  
  
"Lily...what are we dong?" he whispered. Lily swallowed and looked up at him with big eyes.  
  
"You want to stop?" she whispered. He could feel her breath on his lips. He was breathing rather hard himself. She was intoxicating.  
  
"Do you? I mean...we made a promise...' he said, feeling torn.  
  
"We don't have to wait James..." She breathed, stroking his face. James looked down at her and hesitated. Did he want to do this now? His body certainly did. But the sensible part of his brain was telling him to stop. After all, they had waited this long. What was a few more weeks?  
  
James looked down at Lily and finally squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
"No." he said. He waited a second, before pushing himself off her and taking two steps backwards. "No." he said determinedly. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, knowing that if he looked at her, he would be back at her in an instant.  
  
Lily watched him struggle, knowing exactly how he felt. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how well she could control her hands.  
  
"I'll just...I'll be at Mum's." she whispered. James nodded, his eyes still squeezed shut. "I love you." She said.  
  
"I love you too." James breathed. He listened until the sound of a 'pop' signaled it was safe for him to open his eyes.  
  
He looked into the empty room and banged his head on the wall behind him. He sighed, looked down at himself and groaned. His pants were very tight and he knew he was too aroused for him to just wait until he calmed down. He walked out of the bedroom, down the hall and locked himself in the bathroom. He unzipped his pants and began relieving himself.  
  
His mind was reeling. He could have had her then, and she would have been fine with it. But now that he thought about it, he knew it was best that he waited.  
  
It was extraordinary. It wasn't like they were under any obligation to wait, but there was something very appealing about waiting until their wedding night.  
  
James groaned as he felt himself coming close...and he wondered how much more of his sexy fiancé he could take until he finally DID crack.  
  
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A/N – wow, they're all randy today aren't they? I realize that Sirius and Allison's scene wasn't very descriptive, but being the little virgin I am who had never even been kissed, I have no experience what so ever.  
  
And plus, I know there's a lot of tension between Lily and James, but this is usually the case with people who decide to wait. I hope its not frustration any of you.  
  
Please review! 


	16. Chapter 16

* Chapter 16! Thanks for your reviews guys! They give me all fuzzies when I read them!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Allison yawned, stretched out like a cat and opened her eyes. She blinked against the sun and looked around the room. She smiled broadly as the memories of last night came flooding back to her. She looked next to her, but he wasn't there. She sat up slightly and smiled with relief. The smell of bacon and eggs was wafting into the room, signaling his location.  
  
Allison looked down at herself. She was still naked and knowing she wouldn't be able to go out into the house like that, she got up, grabbed one of Sirius's large shirts and slipped it on.  
  
She padded silently out into the kitchen and smiled as she saw him, leaning over the stove with an egg-flip in one hand. She leant against the doorframe and watched the muscles in his back flex as he stirred the eggs in the pan. And then she noticed something. He put the egg-flip down hurriedly and frantically began scratching his right ear.  
  
Allison snorted to herself, walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder.  
  
"Morning." She whispered. Sirius smiled, spun around and kissed her softly on the nose.  
  
"Morning. I made you breakfast." He said happily, still scratching his ear. Allison smiled.  
  
"Thank you. I hope there's heaps of bacon." She said, looking at the pan behind him. Sirius chuckled and nodded, standing aside.  
  
"I was prepared. Moony also has a thing about bacon, so there's always heaps here." He said. Allison smiled, kissed Sirius softly again and walked over to the cupboard. Allison wasn't really one for eggs. She preferred just the bacon on toast.  
  
"You sleep well?" Sirius asked, flipping the bacon over. Allison took two slices of bread and put them in the toaster.  
  
"Exceptionally well." She said dreamily. Sirius smiled and turned around to look at her.  
  
"I must say that shirt looks 10 times better on you than it does on me." He said. Allison smiled, looked down at the large Puddlemere United shirt she was wearing and walked up to him.  
  
"You really think so?" she said, running her hands along his bare chest. Sirius smirked and put his hands on her waist.  
  
"Mm Hmm." He said, kissed her. Allison chuckled and nipped his ear seductively.  
  
"Do I look better without it on?" she asked. Sirius smiled, tilted her head and began sucking on her neck. Allison moaned and let Sirius turn her into a shivering piece of aroused goo.  
  
Just as she was getting into it, Sirius pulled back very quickly and jumped away from her.  
  
"Ow! Ow!" he called, looking at the stove. The bacon was spitting at him. "Bugger!" he called and turned the gas down.  
  
Allison laughed at him and went to retrieve her toast.  
  
***  
  
'Ok. So, I'm just going to run this down to Arthur and get him to check on it." Trinity said, running rather hysterically around the office. Lily laughed and nodded.  
  
"Ok, then that narrows down our 'To do' list to about a bzillion other things." She said. Trinity laughed, pulled the door open and ran out of the office, ducking three incoming memo's.  
  
Lily sighed, caught them in mid-air and was about to sit back down when someone knocked on the open door.  
  
"Mind if it come in?" Remus asked, smiling. Lily snorted.  
  
"Get your butt in here." She said, sitting down on the edge of her desk. Remus chuckled and shut the door behind him. "You just missed Trinity you know." She said, smirking. Remus chuckled.  
  
"No, I er, saw her in the hall." He said, blushing. Lily snorted and looked back down at the memos. "Not too busy are you?" he asked, looking around at the stacks of paper piled on both Lily and Trinity's desks. Lily sighed and looked around also.  
  
"Not as long as its quick." She said. Remus smiled and nodded.  
  
"Well, I was here to see Dumbledore and I figured you could do with a little gossip." He said. Lily's eyes lit up and she looked at him excitedly.  
  
"Oooh, gossip! Remus, you're my new girlfriend! Do tell!" she said, discarding the memo's she had in her hand. Remus chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Well, the first piece which is kind of important, is we have an Order meeting next Tuesday." He said, keeping his voice low. Lily nodded seriously.  
  
"Alright then. Next." She said, bobbing up and down excitedly. Remus laughed.  
  
"Alright then. It can be summed up in two words." He said. Lily looked at him expectantly as he leant in.  
  
"Sirius and Allison." He whispered. Lily looked at him with amazement as Remus gave her one last smile and left the office without another word.  
  
**  
  
"Jessup, have you filed that article about the Durmstrang conference?"  
  
Allison rolled her eyes, looked up from her papers and looked up at the short, bald man in front of her desk.  
  
"Yes Robert. And the files on the latest Dragon species... and the article on The Weird Sisters. Just like I said I would." she said, smiling up at him. Robert smiled down at her.  
  
"Good stuff. Keep it up Jessup." He said. Allison watched him walk off into the jungle of desks, before looking down at her paper.  
  
It was still blank. She had been sitting in front of it for the past 20 minutes, trying to figure out some questions for her up-coming interview with Ludo Bagman. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not get her mind of Sirius. She smiled at the thought of him.  
  
And it wasn't just him she could get her mind off, but his strong, firm chest...his muscly arms...his...  
  
"Allison!"  
  
Allison was jolted out of her daydream by Lily, sitting down opposite her looking very excited about something. Allison looked at her with confusion.  
  
"Lily, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking around the Daily Prophet office.  
  
"I have a bone to pick with you." She said, taking her cloak off and pointing an accusing finger at her. Allison chuckled and put her quill down.  
  
"Alright then. But I'm telling you I didn't leave that floater in your toilet." She said.  
  
"Huh?" Lily asked, looking confused.  
  
"Nothing." Allison said quickly, looking away. Lily looked at her suspiciously for a moment, before her excitement came back.  
  
"I was talking about you. How dare you not tell me you and Sirius are back together." She said, poking Allison in the shoulder. Allison stared at Lily with amazement.  
  
"You've...spoken to Remus?" she whispered. Lily nodded.  
  
"Yeah. How come you told Remus before me?" she asked outraged. Allison rolled her eyes and leant closer to Lily over the desk.  
  
"I didn't! He walked in this morning and saw me at the sink dressed in Sirius's t-shirt. And, being the smart little cookie he is, he kinda put two and two together." She said. Lily's eyes widened.  
  
"Wait a minute, you slept together?" she whispered, looking surprised. Allison was taken back.  
  
"Isn't that what Remus told you?" she asked. Lily shook her head.  
  
"No! All he said was that you were back together." She said. Allison blinked in surprise.  
  
"Oh." She said simply.  
  
"Excuse me? You slept with Sirius and all you can say to me is 'oh'?" she asked loudly.  
  
"Lily! Shut up!" Allison said, looking around. Lily snorted.  
  
"Sorry." She muttered. Allison ran a hand through her hair and smiled.  
  
"Well, what do you want me to say?" she whispered.  
  
"Give me some details!" Lily urged. Allison snorted and nodded.  
  
"Ok, you want details." She said. Lily smiled as Allison looked at the table, recalling the memories. "It was great. And not just because we just had sex. He was so sweet and kind and gentle." Allison said dreamily. "It was like it was the first time." She said, looking at Lily.  
  
Lily smiled warmly at her best friend.  
  
"So, you ARE together aren't you?" she asked. Allison laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yes Lillian. Your Maid of honor and the Best Man are together." She said, picking up her quill. Lily laughed and tapped the desktop.  
  
"Fantastic. You two are too perfect for each other to be apart." She said. Allison smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I know." She said. Lily sighed dreamily, stood up and put her cloak back on.  
  
"Well, I've got all the information I need from you. I'll see you around my beautiful." She said. Allison laughed as Lily walked around the desk, kissed Allison on the cheek and stroked her hair. "I really am happy for you." She said.  
  
"Thanks." She said. Lily winked at her and walked off.  
  
Allison watched her out of sight, before sighing and looking down at her blank page. She dipped her quill in the inkpot and paused.  
  
"Right. Question one...'  
  
***  
  
"Padfoot, do you have an ear infection or something?" James asked, looking at Sirius with concern. Sirius chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"No, I'm fine." He said, smirking. James snorted and shook his head. There was a short silence, before James looked at Sirius out of the corner of his eye and smirked.  
  
"So, I hear you and Allison are back together." James said airily, looking out the window of the bus. Sirius stared openly at James's amused face, before he turned sharply in his seat and glared at Remus behind him.  
  
"Did you tell the whole fucking world Moony?" he whispered harshly. Peter snorted and Remus put his hands up defensively.  
  
"I didn't tell anyone you wouldn't have told anyway." He said, smirking. Sirius glared at him for a moment, before he chuckled.  
  
"That's alright then." He said. He gave Peter one last hit in the arm to shut his giggling up, before turning back around.  
  
The 4 Marauders were on the public bus, on their way to the church that Lily and James had booked. James was so excited about their final decision that he had wanted to show his 3 best friends as soon as possible. They could not apparate or take the Knight Bus, as the area was heavily swarming with muggles.  
  
A few more turns and streets later, James leant over Sirius slightly, looked out the window again and pulled the cord, informing the driver he wanted to get off.  
  
"Ok, this is our stop." He said. The bus slowly came to a stop and the four men got up, walked off the bus in a single file and stepped out onto the pavement.  
  
"Wow Prongs. Its huge!" Peter said, looking up and shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. Sirius put his sunglasses on and nodded.  
  
"Definitely. You rich bastard." He said, nudging James with his elbow. James snorted and shook his head. They were standing in front of a very large chapel. It was many stories high and was very traditional. It gave off a sense of age, tradition and formalness.  
  
"Yeah, nice this one this, isn't it?" James said, putting his hands in his pockets. They all nodded in agreement. "Too bad this isn't the one we've chosen." He said. Sirius looked at him with confusion.  
  
"Its not? Then why the hell did we get off here?" Sirius asked, looking at James with both amusement and curiosity. James laughed and shoved Sirius in the back to make him start walking.  
  
"Cause this is the closet bus stop. We have to walk the next block." He said. Sirius groaned and the three men followed James.  
  
They walked a short distance along the busy streets of London, before James finally stopped walking and looked up happily at the church in front of them.  
  
Unlike the last one, this one was probably a third the size. It was nice, pleasant looking and cozy church that gave of a vibe of love and family. It had large brown, wooden doors at the entrance and a large bell tower.  
  
"And yet again, this one still earns the title of 'wow'." Remus said, smiling. James chuckled, ran up the steps and knocked on the doors. The others followed and arrived next to him as one of the doors opened, revealing a very old looking priest.  
  
"Yes?" he wheezed.  
  
"Yeah um, my names James Potter. I told Father Jackson I would be coming today." He said happily.  
  
"Ah yes. Do come in my boys.' He said and limped aside. They all smiled in thanks and crossed the threshold into the church. It looked larger inside than the outside gave it credit for. It was your traditional church set up with the alter up the front, seats situated on either side of the isle and stain-glass windows.  
  
"Excuse me wont you. I'm trying to prepare for next Sunday's service." The priest chuckled, cleaning his glasses.  
  
"Oh not at all." James said. The old man smiled and limped off, leaving the 4 Marauders alone. Sirius let out a low whistle, took his glasses off and slipped them in the pocket of his jacket.  
  
"You know, I actually prefer this over that other big, massive Hogwarts- wannabe one." He said, looking around. James nodded and walked up the isle, running his hands along the edge of the seats.  
  
"Yeah. That's what Lily and I thought." He said. Sirius watched James admire the hall, before he smirked, bolted past him and stood at the top of the alter. He stuck his chest out importantly, cleared his throat and looked expectantly down at Remus and Peter. They looked at each other, smiled and linked arms.  
  
"Here comes the bride...um, something da da da..." Sirius sang. James rolled his eyes as Remus and Peter slowly made their way up the isle together, both with faces of amusement.  
  
"James, you're meant to be the flower girl!" Peter said as the walked past him and arrived in front of Sirius. James chuckled, sat down and watched. Sirius looked at Remus and Peter down the end of his nose and sighed.  
  
"Dearly invited, we are here to witness the marriage of Our Beauty Lillian...' he said in a posh voice, waving a hand at Remus, who smiled and batted his eyelashes '...and our poor unfortunate ugly brute of a friend, James '4 eyes' Potter." He said, waving his hands at Peter. Peter snorted and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up. James laughed and shook his head.  
  
"James, do you take this unique vision of a woman to be your eternal shag partner?" Sirius asked, looking at Peter. Peter sighed, looking at Remus and sighed.  
  
"Yes, I do." He said in a low imitation of James voice. James snorted and Sirius turned to Remus.  
  
"And do you Lillian, take this dickhead to be your awfully wedded husband to cook and clean for until this day forward?" he asked. Remus sighed, batted his eyelashes at Peter and smiled.  
  
"I do." He said, impersonating Lily's voice. James was now shaking with silent laugher as Sirius smiled broadly and shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Well then, by the power invested in me as a wizard and illegal animagus, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. 4 eyes. You may now snog each other." He said, holding his hands out happily. Remus put a hand against his forehead and sighed.  
  
"Kiss me you fool." He said in Lily's voice, grabbed Peter, dipped him and they pretended to kiss. James and Sirius laughed.  
  
"Let's hope for everyone's sake, Dumbledore doesn't do it like that." James said, walking over to them and shoving Sirius out of the way. Remus laughed and let Peter up.  
  
"Lets home for everyone's sake, you and Lily don't do it like THAT either." Sirius said. Peter laughed.  
  
"Right... now, come here." James said. He grabbed Sirius by the arm, pulled him over and stood him in a certain spot near the alter. "Stay there." He said. Sirius cocked an eyebrow as James made Remus stand next to him, and then Peter next to Remus.  
  
"James, what are you doing?" Remus asked. James smiled jogged excitedly over and stood importantly next to Sirius, his chest puffed out slightly. Sirius snorted as he looked at their line-up.  
  
"Honestly Prongs, you find us that incompetent that we need to practice where we're standing?" Sirius asked. James smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Just wanted to get a feel for it." He said, looking down the isle at the entrance. He smiled, imagining what Lily would look like coming down that isle in her dress. Her hair up...her father at her side...  
  
"James!" Remus yelled, pushing slightly. James jumped back into reality and looked at Remus in front of him.  
  
"Huh?" he said. Remus rolled his eyes and smiled.  
  
"Are we done?" he asked. James looked around at Sirius looking at a statue of Jesus and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so. Thanks for coming by the way." He said. Remus smiled and rolled his sleeves up.  
  
"No problems. I'll see you guys later." He said and began running back out of the church.  
  
"Hold it!" Sirius called. Remus stopped abruptly and spun around.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Sirius said, looking at Remus suspiciously. Remus let his shoulder sag. "And don't say 'Work' and leave it at that." He said. James nodded.  
  
"Yeah Moony, what's the go?" Peter asked, turning in his seat.  
  
Remus considered his friends awaiting faces, before sighing.  
  
"Alright, if you must know...I have a date." He said, fiddling nervously with the cuff of his shirt. The three Marauders stared openly at him with surprise.  
  
"A date? With who?" Sirius asked. Remus looked at the floor.  
  
"Trinity Marshal." He said, going red.  
  
"Moony, that's great!" James said, walking towards Remus. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. Remus smiled and shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I guess...well it's only a Butterbeer." He muttered bashfully.  
  
"Nonsense Moony." Sirius said, walking up to him with Peter. Remus chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I don't know what possessed me to do it. I mean, we were just talking and it just...came out." He said. James smiled at Remus's naivety concerning women and clapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Well, you go have a good time. And I expect a full report when you get back." He said.  
  
"Well, maybe not a full one. We don't want the icky details." Sirius said, faking a cringe. Remus laughed and nodded.  
  
"Alright. I'll see you later." He said. He turned around and walked off.  
  
"Don't do anything we would do!" Peter called.  
  
"Yeah, remember protection!" Sirius called.  
  
"No footsies under the table!" James added.  
  
Remus stuck his middle finger up over his shoulder and walked out into the street.  
  
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* A/N – Oh, I wanna marry Remus! Honestly, isn't he just great?  
  
Please review! 


	17. Chapter 17

* Chapter 17! I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record by saying this, but you guys totally rock my world! And can I ask, who else is hanging out for POA as much as me?  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Mrs. Potter?" Lily asked.  
  
"Lily darling, surely you can start calling me Bethany." Mrs. Potter said, smirking at Lily over the rim of her mug. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Alright then. Bethany, I was wondering if I could ask you something." Lily said, running a finger along the rim of her mug. Bethany smiled.  
  
"You just did, but you can ask me something else if you wish." She said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Alright. This may sound rather a bizarre question, but...what was James's favorite all-time meal?" Lily asked. Bethany looked at Lily, surprise written on her face.  
  
"All-time favorite meal? Why do you want to know that?" she asked. Lily sighed and smiled.  
  
"Well, I wanted to cook it for him. You know, for our last night together." She said. Bethany raised an eyebrow.  
  
"So soon? You've got another 2 ½ weeks!" she asked. Lily laughed.  
  
"Well, I need to be prepared. He could like some exotic meal that requires things from distant lands for all I know!" she said, taking a sip of her cappuccino. Bethany snorted.  
  
"Oh not James. He's quite the simpleton him. You are wracking my brain here missy but...alright. All-time favorite meal. Lets see now...." She said, frowning in thought. Lily smiled as she watched her soon to be mother-in- law reminisce over her son's past.  
  
"Well, probably the only one I can think of that he's never gotten sick of...Bangers and Mash with gravy, followed by a large helping of Vanilla Ice- cream with chocolate topping and sprinkles." She said happily.  
  
Lily stared openly at her, trying to make sure that what she had just heard was the truth. Bethany snorted at her surprised expression.  
  
"Yes, I'm being quite serious. He is rather a bit of a 7 year old isn't he?" she said, taking a bite of her biscuit. Lily snorted and came out of her daze.  
  
"You know, now that I think about it...that sounds completely like him." She said. Bethany laughed and dipped her biscuit in her coffee.  
  
"Yes. Funny how men work isn't it?" she said, smirking. Lily laughed and watched Bethany look around the shopping center. They were meeting Lily's mother there so they could discuss (surprise surprise) wedding plans.  
  
Lily could definitely see many of Bethany's qualities in James. The same wit, same sense of humor, same brown eyes...  
  
"Ah, right on time!" Bethany said, looking over Lily's shoulder at someone. Lily spun around half way to see her mother walking up to the table, an expression of pure joy on her face.  
  
"Ah, ladies. Hello darling." Rose said, bending down and kissing Lily on the cheek. Lily smiled as her mother sat down in-between the two women and took her bag off her shoulder. "So, where's Allison?" she asked, looking at the vacant seat.  
  
"Oh, she got caught up at work. I yelled at her though." Lily said, smirking. Rose snorted and nodded.  
  
"Very well. What have you two been talking about?" she said, looking at Bethany.  
  
"Oh you know... the usual. Weather, James, my husband's new boxer shorts..." Bethany said innocently, taking a sip of her coffee. Rose laughed and shook her head.  
  
"Well, enough of that.' She looked at Lily and smirked. "Lets talk outfits for the honeymoon!"  
  
**  
  
"So anyway, my mom's like 'Oh no you don't! You're not going anywhere without your father and me.' So I grabbed my dad out of his chair and apparated out of sight." Trinity said, banging her fist on the table, making the fork next to her shake. Remus laughed.  
  
"You're mum sounds a bit strict. Not letting you go on dates without them and all." He chuckled, taking a sip of his Butterbeer. Trinity snorted.  
  
"I think the word that should be inserted there is 'Understatement'. She's very old fashioned. I repeatedly told her you know, 'it's the 70's and I'd like to welcome you to it.'. But oh well, what are you going to do?" she said carelessly, taking a bit of her potato. Remus chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Is that why you left America?" he asked. Trinity shook her head.  
  
"Nah. I was just up for a change of scenery." She said. Remus nodded and watched her long after she had looked away. She was looking extraordinarily beautiful tonight, and Remus felt he was cheating much worthier men out of her company just by eating dinner with her. Her hair was plaited and hung over her left shoulder. Her outfit was in her normal, hippie, care-free style, but she seemed to have dressed up slightly for the occasion. He took in a deep breath, wondering if she was a nervous as he was. He sincerely doubted it.  
  
"So how about you. You got family?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. Just my mum, dad and I. Simple, carefree Lupin's." He said, smirking. Trinity smiled and he continued. "Well, my parents are great. I can't say they've never let me go on a date though." He said, smirking. Trinity laughed.  
  
"Lucky you." She muttered. Remus smiled and ate the last bite of his steak. Rare, just the way he liked it.  
  
There was a few minutes silence, where each of them would steal glances at each other while the other wasn't looking, before the had finally finished their meal.  
  
Trinity leant back in her seat and patted her belly.  
  
"I tell you, you pom's sure know how to cook a meal." She said, looking at the bar of the Leaky Cauldron with admiration. Remus chuckled.  
  
"Oh yeah. It's a common fact." He said, running his hand through his hair. Trinity laughed and smiled at him.  
  
They just looked at each other for a moment, before Remus cleared his throat.  
  
"Er so...did you want me to walk you home?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, sure. Alright then." Trinity said, smiling warmly. Remus smiled as they stood up, paid for their meal and left the bar.  
  
They walked many blocks, passing over general conversation. The air was cool and inviting, making them walk a little slower as to enjoy the atmosphere that little bit extra. After a few more turned corners, they finally arrived at Trinity's apartment block.  
  
"Well, this is me." She said, pointing unnecessarily to the building behind her. Remus smiled and nodded. He had walked her home from their last time out.  
  
"Yes, I know." He said, Trinity snorted, reached into her bag and pulled her keys out. She and Remus walked up the steps to the front door.  
  
"Well, I had a good time tonight Remus. Thank you for taking me out." She said, smiling. Remus felt his insides clench.  
  
"Well, thank you for coming. I had a good time too." He said, flashing her a charming smile. Trinity shivered under his gaze.  
  
"Well er, I guess this is goodnight." She said. Remus looked up at the half- moon and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." He echoed.  
  
He looked down at her expectant face, feeling rather nervous.  
  
'Kiss her you idiot!' his mind was screaming at him. Remus took in a deep breath, leant in and kissed her quickly before he lost the nerve. He pulled back and looked at her, as if making sure that it was ok for him to kiss her.  
  
But his question was answered as Trinity slipped her hand around his neck and brought him back to her, her lips pressing firmly against his.  
  
At first, Remus was a little surprised by this swift action. But it soon wore off as he returned her kiss, putting in as much enthusiasm as he dared. Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him. He could feel her slightly heavy breathing on his lips.  
  
"Did you... want to come up?" she whispered. Remus looked down at her, his mind in overdrive.  
  
Did he want to? Did he want to continue what they had just stared and end up god knows where? He knew there was a rule about sleeping with a girl on the first date, but what about the second, which was what they were currently on?  
  
Remus sighed, took her hands in his and looked her in the eye.  
  
"Um, maybe not tonight." He said, looking at her with regret. Trinity smiled and nodded. Remus let out a discreet sigh of relief. She wasn't mad or offended.  
  
"Alright then. I'll owl you?" she asked, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. Remus nodded and smiled.  
  
"Sure. That would be great." He said. He leant in and kissed her one final time, feeling much more bold than before. He pulled back slowly, took three steps down and watched her. She sighed, unlocked the door and slowly slipped inside, giving him one final smile.  
  
Remus watched her out of sight, his head spinning with happiness. He smiled, turned around and jumped the remaining 2 steps onto the footpath.  
  
He spun around, blew a kiss at the building and walked off into the night, his arms swinging happily at his side.  
  
**  
  
"James? James, are you home?" Lily asked, dropping her keys in the bowl near the door.  
  
"I'm up here!" came the very faint sound of James's voice from above her. Lily raised her eyebrow and walked upstairs.  
  
She looked in every room in the house, before finally ending up in one of the spare bedrooms, which was down the hall from her own. She pushed its door open, but it's only occupants were boxes that were still not yet opened.  
  
"James? Have you got your cloak on or something?" she called, looking around.  
  
"No. I'm up here!" he called back. Lily raised an eyebrow and looked upwards. Surely he wasn't...  
  
Lily ran to the window, pulled it up and stuck her head out. She squinted against the setting sun and looked up to the roof.  
  
"James, don't tell me you're...'  
  
"...sitting on the roof?" he asked, sticking his head over the guttering to look down at her. Lily felt her stomach clench with nerves.  
  
"What in heaven's name are you doing up there?" she demanded. James smiled cheekily down at her, before he disappeared for a moment.  
  
"Here, come on up." He said. Lily yelped and held her hands out as a broom dropped from the sky. She caught it just in time, looked at it and smirked. The idea of sitting on the roof with him was dangerous... yet terribly romantic.  
  
"Alright. Hang on." She said. She knew she wouldn't be able to fly through the window, so she ran downstairs, out the back door and into the yard. She swung a leg over the broom, kicked off the ground and rose expertly into the air. Because of James's status as one of the greatest fliers at Hogwarts, the fact that Lily was also a very good flier was often overlooked. But she hardly minded, as he had to be given credit for something didn't he.  
  
She flew upwards and in no-time at all was level with a very relaxed looking James Potter, who was lying on a beach towel, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts.  
  
"Aloha! Care to join me?" he said, waving a bottle of Butterbeer at her. Lily snorted, climbed carefully of the broom and onto the roof, and crawled over next to him.  
  
"How long have you been up here?" she asked, giggling at his appearance. James smiled and handed her his drink.  
  
"A few minutes. The view here is beautiful." He said dreamily. Lily took a sip of his drink, smiled and reclined on her elbows.  
  
"Yes, and did you know you can get the same view from our bedroom window?" She said patronizingly, pointing to the house below them with her foot. James snorted and waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"Nonsense. We aren't magical for the single purpose of sitting inside and being safe. We're wizards, let us flaunt it." He said. Lily chuckled and he leant over and kissed her.  
  
There was a brief silence as the two of them watched the sun slowly set in the distance. James didn't know it, but almost every 5 seconds Lily was stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye.  
  
Many thoughts were going through her head. And with only 2 ½ weeks to go until their wedding, she couldn't help finding herself thinking more and more about their future. Lily smiled as she suddenly had an image of a 80 year old James, sitting up here on the roof with her in this exact same outfit and white hair, sipping on what-ever drink was to be the desired one in 80 years time.  
  
Lily often found herself doing this. Thinking of them growing old together and having a dozen grandkids seemed to flow easier into her mind than ever before.  
  
"Two more weeks." She said, looking at him. James smiled, tore his eyes away from the sunset and looked at her.  
  
"Two weeks, three days and 14 hours. But who's counting?" he said, smirking. Lily laughed and poked the end of his nose softly. He smiled, kissed the tip of her finger and went back to watching the scene in front of him.  
  
Lily watched him gaze openly at the scenery, before she sighed and smiled.  
  
"Why do you love the sunset so much?" she asked, suddenly finding herself very curious. For as long as she had known James well enough, she had noticed he had a certain obsession with the sunset.  
  
James smiled, turned to her and leant closer to her.  
  
"Because it reminds me of you." He said simply, stroking her fiery red hair. Lily felt herself get all fuzzy again as he leant in and kissed her.  
  
He pulled back slowly and smirked at the dopey expression he had left on her face.  
  
"I wish I could say something as romantic about you." She said, shivering under his gaze. James chuckled.  
  
"Why? What reminds you of me?" he asked. Lily chuckled, leant in a kissed him again quickly.  
  
"A mop."  
  
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* A/N – hehe, James is a mop. I thank you for reading yet another of my chapters. Hopefully you will stick with me until the end!  
  
Please review! 


	18. Chapter 18

* Chapter 18! Don't worry, we're getting to the wedding soon!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Lily, have you seen my...'  
  
"On the table dear!" Lily called, answering the answer to James's unanswered question. Lily smiled as she heard James run down the stairs, walk into the kitchen and grab his new sneakers off the kitchen table.  
  
He hopped into the living room where Lily was sitting and smiled at her, pulling a shoe on his foot.  
  
"You know, I'm starting to wonder if you know Legimency as well." James said, smirking. Lily laughed but did not look up from her papers.  
  
"And you will forever wonder that, my dear." She said. James snorted and pulled his other shoe on.  
  
Lily was going through the final schedule for the reception. She had in front of her menus, table settings, color schemes...even a list of sings for them to have playing.  
  
"Where are you going anyway?" she asked. James bent down and began doing up his shoe-laces.  
  
"Diagon Alley. I need more Mugwart and Boomslang skin for my potions box." He said. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I thought we had enough." She said. James smiled and stood up straight.  
  
"You thought wrong." He said simply. Lily chuckled as he went to the coat- stand for his cloak. "I told you I'd checked all that you know." He said, smirking. Lily laughed lightly and turned over the page she was reading.  
  
"Doesn't hurt to double check." She said. James sighed and watched her read. She had a certain look about her when she read things that always made her look twice as intelligent as she already was.  
  
He spread his arms out and looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Well?" he asked. Lily hesitated for a moment, before she looked up at him.  
  
"Well what?" she chuckled. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"Where's my good-bye hug and kiss?" he said. Lily chuckled, put her papers down, got out of her favorite chair by the fireplace and hugged him tightly. He relaxed against her as she put her head against his chest.  
  
"There. This better?" she asked. James chuckled and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Yes, it is! Gees woman, you know better than to deny me my hugs." He said, smirking. Lily laughed as James backed her into the living room again.  
  
"Oh, so I'm just 'woman' now am I?" she asked, looking up at him with a twinkle in her eye. James chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Damn right. Me man, you woman." He said. Lily snorted and let him go.  
  
"Yeah, Me Jane, you Tarzan." She muttered. She walked back over to her pile of papers and frowned. "Now, where did that brochure go?" she asked, looking around the chair for her papers.  
  
"Just summon it." James chuckled, fastening his cloak around his neck. Lily sighed and looked at him.  
  
"If it were that simple, I'd do it." She said, leaning against the back of the chair. James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"But...it IS that simple." He said. Lily snorted and nodded.  
  
"Good point. Now, where's my wand?" she asked, looking around. James laughed and took a step towards her...but he stumbled back just in time to stop being flattened by Sirius running past him.  
  
"Padfoot! What the hell are you doing?" He asked as Sirius bolted into the kitchen.  
  
"No time to talk Prongs. He's going to kill me!" he yelled back, breathing hard from both running and laughing. James and Lily only had a split second to ponder this, before Remus apparated into the room, looking around frantically for Sirius.  
  
"Padfoot! Give it back!" he yelled and ran into the kitchen also.  
  
"Guys, what's...'  
  
"Quick Wormtail! Catch!" Sirius said, running back into the room and throwing a large envelope at Peter who had arrived a split second before. Peter caught it and ran away from Remus around the living room, clutching the envelope tightly against him and laughing hysterically.  
  
"Wormtail! Hand it over!" Remus yelled, trying to corner Peter.  
  
"Guys?" James tried again.  
  
"Sirius here!" Peter called and threw the envelope over Remus's head. Sirius caught it again and ran back out into the kitchen and out the back door into the yard.  
  
"Damn it Padfoot!" Remus yelled and he ran after Sirius, followed by Peter. James and Lily followed not far behind to find Remus wrestling Sirius to the ground.  
  
"Give me it!" Remus demanded angrily, struggling to get the package out of Sirius's arms. Sirius was laughing as Remus pushed him harder into the grass.  
  
"Wormtail, a little help?" Sirius yelled, laughing at Remus's frantic attempts to regain the envelope. Peter laughed, ran down the back stairs and joined in the wrestle.  
  
James laughed and ran over also. He grabbed anywhere he could, trying to break the struggle up.  
  
"Guys, come on!" he laughed.  
  
"Oh for heavens sake. Accio Envelope!" Lily said, pointing her wand at the envelope. It flew out of Sirius's grasp and landed obediently into her hand. The four men stopped wrestling immediately and looked up at her dazed. Lily surpassed the urge to laugh at the sight of them. James smiled up at her and untangled his leg from under Sirius's arm.  
  
"Found your wand I see." He said, smirking. Lily chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Yes, I did. Now, would any of you care to explain what this is?" she asked, holding it up.  
  
"Actually, if I could just...'  
  
"No, open it!" Sirius said, pushing Remus back to the ground as he got up. Remus growled, picked himself up off the ground and walked over to Lily.  
  
"Lily, please just give it to me." He said. Lily frowned at him. He looked very embarrassed about something.  
  
"No here. Prongs, listen to this!" Sirius said. He ran forward, snatched the envelope out of Lily's hand and opened it. He pulled and letter out and cleared his throat.  
  
"Dear Mr. Lupin,  
  
We decided to mail you your latest works, as you did not come in to collect them from our last appointment. We sincerely hope that this will not be the last time we work together, as you definitely have the style for this sort of industry." Sirius read out loudly.  
  
"Padfoot, please...' Remus pleaded, reaching for the letter. Sirius pulled away from him and continued.  
  
"We thank you for taking up our original offer, and hope that you will be able to use these samples for future usage.  
  
Yours gratefully,  
Pamela Grayson. Whoever the hell that is." Sirius said. He threw the letter at Remus and reached into the envelope.  
  
"Here, look at this." He said, holding out another sheet of something. Lily and James both took one of the many sheets and their mouths dropped open.  
  
It was a photo of Remus, but not just a normal, everyday photo. These seemed to be professionally done and in them, Remus was posing. In fact, he was posing as a...  
  
"Model?" Lily asked, dumbfounded. James looked at Remus, who had gone very red. Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Yes! Alright. Ive been modeling for Calvin Klein for the past month and a half!" he yelled. Lily stared at him.  
  
"My god Remus." She said, looking at him in awe.  
  
"Who's this Klein guy anyway?" Sirius asked, taking one of the photos of Lily.  
  
"He's a muggle guy. Very big in fashion and what-not." Lily said, still looking at Remus.  
  
"Gees Moony. How did you get a job like that?" James asked, looking at another of the photos. Remus sighed and wiped his face tiredly with his hand.  
  
"I was walking around London looking for work, and I walked into this guy. And basically...we got talking and he offered me a job. I wasn't going to take it, but I needed the money." He said.  
  
"Remus, why didn't you tell us about this?" Lily asked, looking at the photo James was holding over his shoulder.  
  
"Cause I knew this would happen." He said, glaring at Sirius and Peter. Sirius chuckled and clapped Remus on the back.  
  
"Nonsense. I've always known you were a pretty boy. Its just good that now we have photographic evidence." He said, putting his arm around Remus's shoulder. Remus shoved him away irritably and glared at Peter's chuckling.  
  
"It doesn't matter. I quit anyway." He said. Lily and James stared at him with horror.  
  
"But...but why? Its good money isn't it?" James asked. Remus chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. But its all a bit...embarrassing." He admitted bashfully. Lily nodded as Sirius plucked the photos from her and James's hands and slipped them in the envelope again.  
  
"Well, if you'll excuse me...I have to go show these off to everyone! Except the one of you in boxer shorts Moony. That's going in my wallet." He said. Remus's eyes widened as Sirius blew him a kiss and disapparated.  
  
"Um, excuse me wont you?" Remus said and disapparated irritably after him. James and Lily laughed as Peter closed the circle.  
  
"Well Wormtail, what are you doing today? Wanna come to Diagon Alley with me?" he asked. Peter put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.  
  
"Sure. Lily, you coming?" he asked. Lily sighed and scratched her head.  
  
"Well, I'm nearly done inside. So, I'll meet you two there soon." She said. James nodded, kissed her quickly on the cheek and he and Peter disapparated.  
  
Lily smiled at the empty space for a second, before walking slowly back up the steps into the house.  
  
**  
  
"Ok then. Here we go. Mugwart...Mugwart...' James muttered to himself, looking along the shelves for the jar he wanted.  
  
"Its over here." Peter called, holding up a jar. James looked over at Peter on the other side of the shop and grinned.  
  
"Good work. Now use that little ability of yours to find the Boomslang skin." James said, summoning the jar out of Peter's hand to him. Peter chuckled, nodded and began looking along the shelves behind him.  
  
Normally, James didn't have problems finding what he wanted in this store, but lately all this thoughts seemed to involuntarily shift back to the wedding and what needed to be done. James smiled as he felt that familiar twinge of excitement hit him.  
  
There was still a fair bit to be done, but only 2 weeks left in which to do it in. They still had to put all their theories and designs into action, and James didn't know how long THAT was going to take.  
  
And if James were completely honest with himself, he was looking forward to wearing his suit with great intensity. He had this girly sort of pleasure when it came to dressing up and looking smart. He had always suspected that came from playing dress-ups with his mother when he were younger.  
  
"Wormtail, I found it!" James called out triumphantly, holding up a large vile with Boomslang skin inside. Peter popped his head up over the shelf he was standing behind and smiled.  
  
"Great. Lets get out of here." He said, looking apprehensively around. James chuckled and carried the jars up to the counter to pay for them. Peter wasn't really one for the dark and dreariness of this certain shop.  
  
Minutes later, the two friends stepped out into the sunny lane of Diagon Alley, James clutching his ingredients underneath his arm. Peter sighed and scratched his chest.  
  
"So, where's Lily? I thought she was meeting us here." He said. James chuckled and began walking down the alley.  
  
"She will. See, you have to operate by 'Lily Time'." James said, stepping aside to let a large group of girls walk next to him.  
  
"Lily time?" Peter chuckled.  
  
"Yeah. Like when Lily says 'I'll be down in a minute', you know to put the kettle on cause she'll be another half and hour." He said. Peter laughed. "See, it like all women. They have time management problems. You tell them to...oh, sorry!" James said as he bumped hard into someone. But his apology hung bitterly in the air as he spotted who he had walked into.  
  
"Sorry, I thought you were someone worth apologizing to." James said, glaring at the man in front of him.  
  
"It would be worthless anyway Potter." Snape sneered, clutching his wand at his side. James opened his mouth to say something else, when another man stepped up behind Snape and smirked.  
  
"Ah, so THIS must be Mr. Potter." The man said. He walked around in front of Snape and held his hand out to James. "Lucius Malfoy." He said.  
  
James stared down at his outstretched hand, but did not take it.  
  
"Don't tell me you're a friend of Snivellus's. You need to pick your friends more carefully." James said, giving this man the once over. Lucius chuckled and held his elbow out as a woman appeared at his side.  
  
"Perhaps you should take your own advice Potter." He said. James glared at Malfoy, but smirked as he spotted the woman on his arm.  
  
"Narcissa." He said, bowing his head respectfully as he recognized Sirius's cousin. Narcissa sniffed indignantly and looked at James like he were some piece of dirt.  
  
"Potter." She said stiffly, examining her fingernails. James chuckled as he watched Lucius look at her confused for a moment, before he turned back to James.  
  
"No Black or Lupin to back you up Potter? Did the little boys have a fight?" Snape said, smirking as if the thought of them not speaking was the answer to his prayers. James smirked and put his hands on his hips.  
  
"No such luck I'm afraid Snivellus. Besides, Peter's here." He said, indicating to Peter standing a step behind him. Peter nodded and took a small step forward. Snape and Malfoy looked at each other for a moment, before they burst out laughing.  
  
James felt himself get angry at their taunting and reflexively clutched his wand underneath his cloak.  
  
"Pettigrew? That's your back-up?" Snape chuckled, pointing at Peter. "You might as well have your Mudblood girlfriend standing next to you. They're both as worthless as each other." Snape said. Lucius chuckled but suddenly found himself shoved angrily aside as James lunged forward, grabbed Snape by the front of his robes and threw him angrily shoved him up against the nearest wall.  
  
"Take that back you bastard!" he growled. Snape was clutching James's arms, trying to pry them off him.  
  
"Get off me Potter!" he yelled back. James gritted his teeth and pushed him hard against the wall. He opened his mouth to yell at him more, but suddenly found a wand pointed at his neck.  
  
"Release him Potter." Lucius said threatingly. James looked at him out of the corner of his eye, before back at Snape. But he didn't not let go. Peter stepped forward and tried to wrestle Malfoy away form James, but Rookwood (who James hadn't seen was even there until a second before he grabbed Snape), grabbed Peter and put him in a body bind with his arms.  
  
James was breathing hard with anger. He was still glaring at Snape.  
  
Potter, you heard me." Lucius drawled, smirking. James glared at Malfoy. Malfoy opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped abruptly as the end of someone's wand poked him in the back of the neck.  
  
"Get the hell away from my fiancé." Lily said threateningly, glaring at him. Lucius looked at her, summing her up before he finally lifted his wand away from James who in-turn, released Snape. "And him." She said, glaring at Rookwood. Peter was turning blue in his grasp. Rookwood looked down at Peter and reluctantly let him go at Malfoy's signal.  
  
"Is this her Severus?" Malfoy asked, looking Lily up and down as she took James hand. Lily raised an eyebrow as Snape adjusted his robes, nodded and stood next to Malfoy, giving Lily a look of slight disgust.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" she asked. James squeezed her hand, trying to get her attention, but she ignored it.  
  
"Nothing that concerns you girl." Lucius snapped, looking at her also with revulsion. Snape chuckled next to him and shook his head.  
  
"So this is the great James Potter. Hiding behind his betrothed like a scared little child? Honestly Potter, I thought you had more spine than...'  
  
SMACK!  
  
Lily had stepped forward and slapped Snape hard in the face. Snape stumbled slightly and looked up at Lily with shock.  
  
"Don't you DARE talk about James like that you...you...' she stuttered angrily. James smirked and grabbed Lily gently by the arm.  
  
"Come on honey. Lets go." He said, looking at her with awe. Lily glared at Snape and Malfoy one final time, before she turned angrily on her heel and barged her way through the crowd and out of sight. James and Peter looked at the other men in front of them for another moment, before they hurried off after Lily.  
  
James and Peter found her minutes later, sitting in a dark corner of the Leaky Cauldron, looking very upset. Peter tapped James on the shoulder and smiled.  
  
"I'll just go. I'll see you later." He said. James nodded.  
  
"You ok?" he asked, pointing at Peter's neck. Peter chuckled and rubbed his throat.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. See you later." He said, handing over the packages he had been holding. James smiled as Peter disapparated. He turned around, sighed and walked over to Lily.  
  
"Hey." He said softly, sitting across from her. She looked up at him as he put the bags down on the floor. Lily continued to stare at the table.  
  
"I hate him." She said firmly. James looked at her with surprise for a moment, before he chuckled, suddenly finding it funny.  
  
"I know the feeling." He said. Lily smirked and looked at him.  
  
"It's taken me 8 years to finally get to the point where I can say that. I mean, how DARE he talk about you like that. That Malfoy's just as bad." She said. James smiled and took her hands in his across the table. "You're worth both of them put together." She said in a final tone. James kissed her hands.  
  
"Nice of you to say so." He said.  
  
"It's the truth. And to hell with anyone who thinks otherwise." Lily said, looking at him with admiration.  
  
A silent, tender moment passed between the two of them as they stared at each other. Each of them trying to say how much they loved the other from the look in their eye.  
  
Finally, James broke away from Lily's eyes and looked at his watch.  
  
"It's getting late. You wanna go home?" he asked. Lily sighed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I wanna go over our seating arrangements again." She said, getting up. James laughed, picked up his stuff off the floor and followed her out into the streets of Muggle London.  
  
"How many times have you looked at that bloody list?" he asked, taking her hand in his. Lily laughed and shrugged.  
  
"Just double checking." She said, smiling. James snorted and kissed her temple.  
  
"You love me?" he asked. Lily raised an eyebrow and looked at him.  
  
"Of course. Why?" she asked, looking at him as if he had gone mad. James smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Just double checking."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
* A/N/ - Hey guys and girls! Yeah, again not a lot. But I swear we're getting nearer to the big event. I wanted to have a little fun with Snape and the others.  
  
And, was Calvin Klein around in the 70's? I fully apologize if it wasn't, but it was the only thing I could think of!  
  
Please review! 


	19. Chapter 19

* Chapter 19! Thanks for all your awesome reviews guys. And by the way, if any of you want to talk HP at any time, drop me an e-mail, cause I can talk about it until the cows come home!  
  
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"James, stand still. Sirius, tuck your shirt in. Remus honestly, stand up straight. Peter, stop fidgeting." Bethany Potter said, pushing the four men in line. They all groaned as she straightened up their clothes unnecessarily.  
  
"Mum, go away!" James said, slapping his mother's hands away as she licked her fingers and began trying to flatten his hair. She sighed and let her hands drop at her side.  
  
"I vow on my mothers grave that one day that hair of yours WILL lie straight." She said, folding her arms over her chest. Sirius snorted.  
  
"Vow on MY mothers, Mrs. Potter. It's the safer option." He said. Bethany smiled at him.  
  
"Thanks for the offer Sirius. Now, we know how this works?" she asked, looking at the line up.  
  
"Bethany, leave the boys alone." Richard said, sitting down casually on the right side of the isle. "Come and sit by me." He said, patting the seat beside him and smirking. The boys started giggling, but James however made a gagging pose at his parent's obvious mushiness.  
  
Tonight, they were practicing the wedding. James personally found the whole idea unnecessary, but he had caved after Lily's continuous winging about it.  
  
James looked around for the girl he was about to marry, but so far all the people that were there representing her were her parents. James looked at Rose, who looked back at him and shrugged. James looked down the isle for a sign of her, but there was none.  
  
"Moony, time please." James said, adjusting his glasses.  
  
"Um, she's 10 minutes late." Remus said, checking his watch. James groaned and began fidgeting with his shirt.  
  
"Well, this IS wedding practice. Maybe she's practicing being late." Sirius said casually, leaning against James's shoulder. James chuckled and went to say something else, when he heard the large oak doors bang open and seconds later, saw Lily bolt up the isle towards him, her red hair billowing out magnificently behind her.  
  
"And this is Lily, practicing her utter desperation to get to her charming, wholesome fiancé who awaits patiently at the...'  
  
"Shut up Padfoot. Where have you been?" James asked. Lily stopped in front of him, breathing hard.  
  
"I'm...sorry. I got...held up." She breathed, trying to catch her breath. James chuckled and rubbed her back.  
  
"Its alright. Where're your girls?" he asked, looking around. Lily took one last deep breath and cleared her throat.  
  
"Well, Allison is doing her latest article and should be here within the next half and hour, Kim is out at the local nightclub and SHOULD be here." She said, looking around at her parents.  
  
"I told her 9:30. She'll be here." Andrew said. Lily smiled at her father and turned back to James.  
  
"And Trinity is...'  
  
"Here! Call off the search party!" Trinity announced, walking into the church with her arms out. Lily chuckled and rubber her forehead as Trinity walked past her and straight to Remus.  
  
"Hey." He said, smiling warmly. Trinity grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him rather boldly. Peter sniggered next to Remus as Sirius mimed making out with someone next to him. Trinity pulled back and looked satisfied at Remus.  
  
"Hey yourself." She whispered. Remus chuckled, kissed her cheek and she walked over and took her position in line. Lily chuckled and also took her place.  
  
"No, what are you doing? Get down there!" James chuckled, pointing to the entrance hall. Lily rolled her eyes and walked over to her father.  
  
"Come on Daddy. We have to do this right." She said, pulling him out of his seat. Andrew sighed and let himself be dragged off down the isle.  
  
"Right. Now, the music will start playing...' Rose said, standing up. Sirius cleared his throat and started singing the tune to 'Happy Days'. James elbowed him in the side and Sirius laughed.  
  
"Alright Alright." He said and began singing the wedding march. James smiled and looked down the isle, his hands folded in front of him.  
  
"Ok, and then Kim will come down the isle...' Rose said. And in that split second, Kim came jogging up the isle in her good, going out clothes. 'Perfect timing dear." Rose muttered as Kim walked past her and stood next to Trinity.  
  
"Sorry I'm late. But this disco was really groovy and...' Kim broke off immediately as her eyes fell on the best man. Sirius was a little startled by this at first, but he quickly recovered, smirked and winked at her. Kim broke out in giggles and blushed.  
  
"Oh honestly Kim. OK, and then Trinity comes down the isle...'  
  
"Yeah yeah...then Allison...' James said eagerly, cutting Rose off. She chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"And then the bride!" Trinity called. There was a moment's pause, before Lily and her dad walked into the hall, holding hands and skipping merrily. Rose groaned and Richard stood up and began clapping.  
  
"Hurry up. Run!" James laughed. Lily and her father sprinted up the isle and stopped just before they ran over Bethany.  
  
"OK, then you give her to me...' James said, pulling Lily's hand out of her fathers and taking it in his '...Dumbledore says the vows...we repeat it...we snog...we're married!" James said happily. Lily snorted and kissed him quickly.  
  
"You're so impatient." She chuckled. James shrugged innocently as Lily turned to her bridesmaids.  
  
"So, we know the drill? Kim? KIM!" Lily whacked Kim on the arm to get her attention. Kim tore her wide-eyes away from Sirius and looked at Lily.  
  
"Huh?" she asked. Lily groaned, grabbed Kim and physically turned her away from Sirius.  
  
"The drill. You know how everything works?" she asked. Kim rolled her eyes and nodded.  
  
"Yes Lily. We walk, we stand, we watch. Its not rocket science." She said, trying to look over her shoulder at Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes and looked over at him also. He was running a hand through his hair, making it stick up slightly like James, and he was wearing his charming smile. He was obvious enjoying the attention he was getting from Kim.  
  
"You, stop encouraging her!" Lily snapped playfully. Sirius smiled and turned to Remus, "And you, do you realize he is spoken for?" she said to Kim.  
  
"He is? Who is it?" she asked.  
  
"Allison." Lily said, folding her arms over her chest. Trinity chuckled next to her at Kim's expression.  
  
"Oh, bummer." She said, pouting. Trinity chuckled and put her arm around Kim's shoulders.  
  
"Not to worry my girl. You've still got Peter." She said. Kim looked at Trinity with confusion.  
  
"Who's Peter?" she asked. Trinity slowly looked at Lily with amazement.  
  
"Jesus Evans, don't you introduce anyone?" she asked amazed. Lily chuckled and turned around.  
  
"Peter, come here for a second." She called. Peter looked up from the bible he was apparently reading and smiled. He closed it, walked past Rose and Bethany and came to Lily's side.  
  
"You rang?" he said happily. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Peter, I wanted you to meet Kim, my cousin and your partner in line. Kim, this is Peter." Lily introduced. Kim smiled and held her hand out happily.  
  
"Great to meet you." She said. Peter looked a little nervous and timidly shook her hand.  
  
"Great to meet you too." He muttered. Kim chuckled at his bashfulness. Kim was a rather pretty girl and Peter had a bit of a habit about being very shy around pretty girls. In fact, the day he had met Trinity, he had knocked over his bottle of Butterbeer and spilled it all down his front, all because she had asked him a question.  
  
"So, you're my partner huh?" Kim asked, playing with her hair. Peter nodded.  
  
"Yeah, just me. Good old Peter." He rambled on. Kim laughed and took his hand.  
  
"Oh, aren't you the cutest?" she said and dragged him off. Lily and Trinity laughed.  
  
"He should distract her for a while." Lily muttered. Trinity chuckled and looked at James's father and Remus, who appeared to be deep in conversation. Lily heard Trinity moan next to her.  
  
"What was that for?" Lily chuckled. Trinity tore her eyes away from Remus and looked at Lily.  
  
"Huh?" she asked.  
  
"You moaned." She said. Trinity looked at her with embarrassment.  
  
"I...I did?" she asked. Lily nodded and Trinity sighed. "Oh, I can't help it. I mean, look at him!" she said, pointing at Remus. Lily did so and smiled.  
  
He was wearing one of his very nice outfits again. Only yesterday, Remus had told her that he had changed his mind about the modeling gig, as he was enjoying the money far too much to give it up. But even though he did look very good tonight, she didn't feel the urge to moan.  
  
"Yeah. But, why the moaning?" she said in a low voice. Trinity sighed and scratched her nose.  
  
"Cause...just him standing there is making me all...you know." She said. Lily raised an eyebrow and looked at Remus. He turned, looked at Trinity and his facial expression turned from casual to something Lily had only seen once. That night they went to the disco last year, when Remus had turned on nearly every woman there.  
  
"Er Trinity, I know what your thinking. And please, do not go and have wild monkey sex with Remus." She said casually. Trinity however, simply smiled, not feeling at all embarrassed by Lily's warning.  
  
"Oh all right. I'll try and resist." She said. She blew Remus a kiss, who smiled, patted his lips softly and turned back to Richard. Lily smiled.  
  
"Now THAT was cute." She said. Trinity snorted and shoved Lily in the side.  
  
"Oh my god, I'm late! I'm later than the freaking bride!" Allison yelled, running into the church. Everyone turned and watched her run up the isle and stop in front of Lily, clutching her by the shoulder.  
  
"I'm so sorry." She said, fanning her face. Lily laughed and hugged her.  
  
"Its alright. Just don't let it happen on the day." She said. Allison laughed and pulled back.  
  
"Hi everyone! And Sirius." She said happily, looking around. Everyone said hi, but Sirius ran forward, grabbed her around the middle and picked her up with a growl.  
  
"Hello my sweet." He said. Allison smirked and kissed him. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Ok, is it 'International Horney Day' or something?" she said a little more loudly than the meant to. Everyone stared amazed at her for a second, before she went red. "Well, am I the only one whose noticed this?" she muttered. James chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"Hmm, must have missed THAT memo." Sirius said.  
  
"Ok, successful practice everyone. Now, go home and do...whatever." He said. Everyone laughed and they all went around, saying their goodbyes.  
  
Sirius dragged a laughing Allison outside and into the street to his motorbike, Lily and Remus not far behind.  
  
"Sirius, can you please wear a helmet or something?" Lily said, rubbing her upper arms. Sirius snorted as Allison put her hair up and got on the back of his bike.  
  
"Helmets are for people who don't know HOW to ride." He said cockily, getting on the bike. Remus chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"Get out of here you idiot. You coming home tonight?" he asked. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Just dropping my woman off here." He said, staring the engine up. Allison hit him, but she was smiling. They called good-bye as Sirius kicked the stand up and they drove off down the road and around the corner out of sight.  
  
Lily sighed and linked her arm with Remus's.  
  
"So, you and Trinity are getting along good I see." She said, smirking at him. Remus chuckled and sighed.  
  
"She's making me crazy. Stupid sensory enhancements." He muttered. Lily laughed as they walked back into the church. When they entered, they saw that Peter and James's parents had left already.  
  
"Ok, lets go. I'm tired." Kim said, resting her head on Rose's shoulder. Lily's mother chuckled and patted Kim's head.  
  
"Oh diddums. Come on then, we'd better go." She said. Andrew nodded and kissed his daughter goodbye. Lily said goodnight to her mother and Kim and they left, leaving only Remus, Lily, James and Trinity.  
  
"Well, we're out of here. The night is still young." Trinity said happily, linking her hand with Remus's. He looked at her with amazement.  
  
"Are you kidding?" he asked. Trinity smiled at him and wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"Evans, Potter. Until we meet again." She said. And before Remus could argue, they disapparated. Lily and James chuckled and turned to each other.  
  
"You know, I now see your point about having the practice." James said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Lily smiled up at him.  
  
"See? When will you learn that I'm always right?" she said. James chuckled and looked around.  
  
"It just seems so much more...real." He said dreamily. "We're actually doing this." He said, looking down at her excitedly. Lily smiled and kissed him.  
  
"In just over one short week, I shall be your wife." She announced. James chuckled and hugged her.  
  
"And I shall be your husband." He said. Lily hummed in answer against his chest as she held him. James smiled and took another look around, thinking.  
  
One more week.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
* A/N – So, comments? It's just another little limbo chapter, but what wedding doesn't have a practice run?  
  
Ok, and I'm doing a little advertising for all you Fan Art crazed people. Now, I am totally obsessed with the stuff, and this site is a very good one when it comes to the Marauders.  
  
www.tinaling.ca/mwppmap  
  
This one is great! I know a few more and if you were interested, e-mail me and I'll tell you about them. 


	20. Chapter 20

* How awesome! Chapter 20! Thanks for your reviews guys, you all rock!  
  
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"Go on. Get out!" Lily laughed, pointing at James's suitcase. James laughed and shook his head.  
  
"No! Why should I be the one that has to move?" he asked. Lily sighed and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Because, Trinity has an 'outdoor toilet' sized apartment, Allison lives with her parents and Kim lives with MY parents! Ergo, YOU'RE the one that has to give me the house." She said. Lily picked up his suitcase, walked over to the bed and dropped it on it. She opened it and walked over to his draws.  
  
"But...come on! You really expect me to spend the next five days with Moony and Padfoot?" he asked. Lily smiled and dumped a handful of James's clothes into the suitcase.  
  
"Yes! Like you said, its only five days. And plus, its gentlemen-like to hand the house over to me." She said. James chuckled, grabbed his clothes out of the suitcase and dumped them on the floor.  
  
"But...I don't want to LIVE with those guys! I mean, you want me in one piece at the wedding don't you?" he asked. Lily chuckled and dumped another load of clothes in the suitcase.  
  
"Yes, I do. But you've lived with them for the past 7 years! Why would now be any different?" she asked. James took the new load of clothes out and dumped them on the floor again.  
  
"Cause...cause I don't know." He muttered. Lily sighed and looked at him.  
  
"Alright look. If you REALLY want the house...I'm sure I can work something out." She said. James chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"No, I'm just messing with you." He said happily. Lily glared jokingly at him and threw a pair of socks at him.  
  
"Stupid Stag. Come on, get packed and get out." She said, walking out of the room. James chuckled and watched her go.  
  
"I love it when you leave. It's the best view." He called.  
  
"Screw you hippie!" she called, walking down the stairs. James chuckled, pointed his wand at his clothes and sent them into his suitcase.  
  
"That you will." He muttered.  
  
****  
  
"Oooh, can I sleep in here?" Kim asked, jumping onto Lily's bed.  
  
"Excuse me! Get off! No, Allison's sleeping with me." Lily said, pulling Kim off her bed. Kim landed on the floor with a THUMP and looked at Lily with disappointment.  
  
"Fine then. Where AM I sleeping?" she asked. Kim rolled her eyes, grabbed her hand and led her down the hall to the first spare bedroom.  
  
"Here. Excuse all the boxes." She said, opening the door for Kim. She looked at Lily with horror.  
  
"Am I sleeping IN a box or something?" she asked. Lily snorted and shut the door.  
  
"We're getting the bed this afternoon. Stop worrying!" she laughed, pushing Kim in the back to make her walk. Kim let her shoulder slump as she walked down the stairs in front of Lily.  
  
Lily and James were going to live apart for the next few days until the wedding day. It was decided that Lily (being the gentleman James was) would have the house to herself and James would go stay with Sirius and Remus at their house.  
  
"Hey. I see you're making yourself at home." Lily chuckled as she spotted Trinity reclined on the couch, watching TV with a drink resting on her stomach. She smiled and raised her bottle to Lily, who sat down on the arm of the chair Kim was sitting in.  
  
"Cheers Evans. Its really decent of you letting us crash here and all." She said.  
  
"Ah, Lily's very hospitable like that." Allison said, walking into the room while putting her hair up. Kim smiled and sat down in Lily's chair near the fire.  
  
"Tell me about it. I reckon you'd take in a Death Eater if he pleaded enough." She said. Lily snorted, but Trinity looked worried.  
  
"How do you know about Death Eaters?" She asked. Kim smirked and shrugged.  
  
"I tell her everything practically. She's very in the know." Lily said. Trinity shrugged and looked back at the TV.  
  
"Ok, I'll settle in later. I've gotta go into work and sign some contract." Allison said. Lily looked at her and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Contract?" she asked. Allison nodded and pulled her cloak on.  
  
"Yeah. I don't know what its about. I'll tell you tonight though." She said. Lily nodded, stood up and walked over to her.  
  
"Ok, you'll be here for dinner?" she asked. Allison nodded.  
  
"Yeah. See you bum's later!" she said. Kim and Trinity grunted in good-bye and Allison laughed.  
  
"Bye." Lily said, and she leant forward and her and Allison kissed each other quickly on the lips. Seconds after Allison disapparated, Kim made a noise.  
  
"Ew! You kissed her." She said in a very child-like voice. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"I kiss her all the time!" she said.  
  
"Yeah, but not on the lips." Trinity said, smiling at Kim's reaction. Lily chuckled and waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"That's nothing. We've actually fully made-out before." She said. Trinity and Kim stared at her in amazement. "What? We were 14 and we were curious!" Lily said defensively. Trinity laughed and she and Kim went back to watching TV.  
  
****  
  
"Ok Prongs, get ready for the bachelor experience! You've never really had one have you?" Sirius asked, flopping down on the couch. James dumped his suitcase in the hallway and chuckled.  
  
"No, I guess I haven't." he said. Sirius smiled mischievously and Remus clapped James on the back.  
  
"Well don't worry. You'll definitely get a feel for it while staying here." He said, looking around at the disheveled state of the house.  
  
"Must be pretty bad though, getting kicked out of your own house." Peter said, carrying his hot chocolate steadily in his hand as he walked into the living room. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Peter, the man's about to get married. I don't think this will be the last time he's kicked out." He said, scratching his chest. James rolled his eyes and smiled.  
  
"Probably. But, being here means I miss out on her cooking. Did you know she cooked me Bangers and Mash the other night? And it was just the way I like it too!" He said, kicking his shoes off. Remus chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I have a question Prongs. I mean, we know what your looking forward to, but what ARENT you looking forward to?" he asked, sitting down in his chair near the window.  
  
"Hey, good question Moony. Enough of all this mushiness stuff. Spill." Sirius said. James laughed and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"I don't know! I haven't thought about it!" he said.  
  
"Oh what shit. Come on Prongs, you can tell us." Sirius said. James looked at their expectant faces, before sighing.  
  
"Well...I don't know. I know there's going to be fights, so I'm not looking forward to that." He said. "Look honestly, I'm willing to take the bad with the good." He said, shrugging. Peter smiled and nodded.  
  
"Very admirable of you James." He said. James smiled up and him.  
  
"Pfft, you really ARE an old married man." Remus said. James smiled a dopey smile.  
  
"I know, isn't it great?  
  
***  
  
Lily rounded another corner of the Ministry, headed for her office. She didn't need to be in today, but she figured she could get ahead of herself by taking some work home.  
  
She walked up a flight of stairs, rounded another corner...and bumped hard into someone, making them fall over. Someone small.  
  
She looked down to see a toddler, who couldn't have been over the age of 2, picking himself up off the ground. Lily bent down to his level and smiled.  
  
"Hey buddy. You ok?" she asked, taking his hand. The little boy shivered slightly, but recovered quickly and smiled cheekily at her. Lily smiled back. She liked children.  
  
"Where's you mummy?" she asked. The boy sniffed and looked around.  
  
"Um...mummy don't...' he mumbled incoherently. Lily looked at him, taking in what he looked like.  
  
He could have definitely been mistaken for a relative of hers, as he had flaming red hair like hers and freckles. Lily went to ask him something else, when another boy came running down the hall.  
  
"Oh, HERE you are!" he called, running up to them. Lily guessed this was his older brother, as he too had red hair and freckles. He looked down at Lily and smiled apologetically. "Sorry miss, has he been bothering you?" he asked, taking his little brother's hand. Lily stood up and smiled.  
  
"No, no not at all. Although he did clock me one." She said, patting her stomach. The boy groaned and looked down at the toddler.  
  
"That's BAD Fred. Daddy told you to stay with him!" he said, shaking a finger at the toddler.  
  
"Not Fred. Gorge!" he yelled. The older boy picked him up and sighed.  
  
"Alright then, George. Where's Fred?" he asked.  
  
"Not Gorge, Fred!" he giggled loudly. Lily snorted as the older boy groaned. She was surprised at this boy's maturity. He acted like someone in his mid-teens, but he couldn't have been any older than 9.  
  
"Bill? Oh, you found him!"  
  
Lily looked up to see Arthur Weasley running down the hall, looking very tired. She smiled as he rushed forward and plucked the toddler out of Bill's hands.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness." He said.  
  
"Which one is he? I can't tell." Bill chuckled bashfully. Arthur smiled, checked the boy's jumper and sighed.  
  
"Its Fred." He said. Bill smiled and scratched his head.  
  
"Thought so." He said.  
  
"Where's Percy?" Arthur asked, struggling to hold onto a squirming Fred.  
  
"With Charlie. I think George is with them too." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Arthur nodded and his eyes widened as he spotted Lily.  
  
"Oh Lily! I'm sorry, I didn't even see you there!" he said, switching Fred to his other hip. Lily chuckled and smiled.  
  
"No problem. These two yours?" she asked. Arthur nodded and beamed down at Bill.  
  
"Yep. This is my son Bill, my eldest...' he said. Bill held out his hand to Lily, who shook it.  
  
"Great to meet you miss." He said. Lily chuckled at being addressed so formerly.  
  
"You too." She said.  
  
"...and this is...Fred!" Arthur said, struggling to hold onto Fred who was squirming, obviously wanting to get down. Lily chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Down Daddy!" the boy squealed. Arthur sighed and held Fred out in front of him at arms length.  
  
"If daddy puts you down, you promise to be a good boy?" he said sternly. Fred nodded, but was looking around everywhere.  
  
"Down!" he yelled. Arthur frowned, but put the boy down. As soon as he did so, Fred ran up to Bill and punched him in the arm.  
  
"You're it!" he screamed and ran off past his father and down the hall. Bill sighed, smiled regretfully at Lily and ran off after him. Arthur put his face in his hands as Lily chuckled.  
  
"Good god Arthur. How many are you planning on having?" she asked. Arthur looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Oh, the more the merrier. Why stop at 5?" he asked tiredly. Lily laughed and shook her head.  
  
"You know, people are going to start to wonder about you and your...tendencies." She said, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Arthur chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"But it's not me!" he said defensively. "Its Molly." He muttered, although he looked anything but upset about the prospect of his wife wanting more children. Lily laughed as Arthur looked down the hall.  
  
"So, you excited? Big day soon." He said, beginning to walk down the hall with Lily.  
  
"Are you kidding? I can't wait! It's taking forever though." She said. Arthur chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Yes, it doesn't tend to do that. But, not to worry. It'll get here." He said. Lily smiled and looked at him.  
  
"I expect you and Molly to have front row seats, you know." she said. Arthur smiled.  
  
"Well, rather close to I expect." He said. Lily opened her mouth to say something else, when another red-headed child ran in front of her and grabbed Arthur by the robes.  
  
"Daddy, you've gotta come! There's Dragons in the basement!" the boys said excitedly. Lily looked at his boy in amazement. But Arthur however, we less than impressed.  
  
"What are you doing down there? You're meant to stay with mum!" he said. The boy recoiled and looked at his father guiltily.  
  
"But...but there's dragons Daddy!" he said, as if this were a good enough reason for disobeying his father. Arthur rolled his eyes and pried his son's little hands off him.  
  
"Charlie, go find your mum." He said.  
  
"But...but...'  
  
"Now!" Arthur said firmly. Charlie sighed and walked sulkily back the way he came. Lily snorted.  
  
"Why is your entire family in at work with you today?" she asked. Arthur sighed.  
  
"Oh, I'm off today. I just came in to get a few things and they decided they all wanted to come." He said, smiling. Lily laughed as Arthur began walking after his son. "Look, I'd better go round them up. I'll see you later." He said.  
  
"Ok. Say hi to Molly for me!" she called. Arthur waved as he ran down the hallway out of sight.  
  
Lily smiled after him and began walking the remaining distance to her office, wondering if one day she would also have little red-head's running around the house.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
* A/N- Ok, what HP story would this be if there wasn't any Weasleys? Gotta love 'em!  
  
Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry if that thing about Lily and Allison kissing freaked any of you out, but a lot of girls ARE curious about that sort of stuff, and I thought it would be an interesting little thing to add.  
  
Please review! 


	21. Chapter 21

* Chapter 21! Thanks for reviewing guys! Hopefully I'm not dribbling on too much.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"So, they're thinking of promoting you? Already?" Lily asked. Allison smiled and took another bite of her pie.  
  
"I know! I nearly wet myself with excitement! I mean, I've only been there a few months." She said. Lily chuckled and patted Allison's knee.  
  
"It was that article about Ludo Bagman that did it for you. I TOLD you that was an excellent article." Lily said in a superior tone. Allison snorted and Trinity nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Yeah, I read that too. Very well written." Trinity said, smiling. Allison smiled bashfully and Kim frowned.  
  
"Urgh, I HATE being out of the loop with all this stuff." She said, playing with her carrots.  
  
"Don't worry. I've save the article, so you can read it later." Lily said casually, taking a sip of her water. Allison looked at Lily wait amazement.  
  
"You...you've kept it?" she asked. Lily chuckled and wiped the corner of her mouth with her forefinger.  
  
"Duh. I keep all your stuff. Its in a box in my closet." She said, pointing to the ceiling above her with the end of her fork. Allison looked at Lily with shock.  
  
"Jesus Lily, you're worse than my mother." She said, going back to her meal. Lily laughed and shrugged.  
  
That night, Lily had decided to spoil her girls rotten and had cooked them a roast dinner. But being the clever witch she was, it didn't even take half the effort it would normally, as she knew a lot of helpful coking spells. They were sitting around the small dining table next to the kitchen, eating their meal by candlelight.  
  
"Mmm, fantastic meal Lily. Complements to the chef." Trinity said, swallowing her last bite of steak. Kim nodded enthusiastically in agreement and took her and Trinity's plate over to the sink.  
  
"We should stay over here more often. Maybe when you go on your honeymoon we can still crash here." Allison said, smirking. Lily chuckled and cut up her potato.  
  
"Yeah. Where are you two going anyway?" Kim asked, sitting back down at the table. Lily shrugged.  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine. James refuses to tell me." She said. Allison frowned.  
  
"Why?" she asked, soaking up her gravy with her roll. Lily shrugged.  
  
"Who knows? Why doesn't he tell me a lot of things?" she asked. Allison chuckled and Trinity stood up, stretching.  
  
"James Potter, International Man of Mystery." She said. "Hey, maybe he's a spy like James Bond and can't tell you anything because it will endanger his mission." She said. Lily snorted and shook her head.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's exactly what's going on." She said, taking her plate to the sink. Trinity chuckled while looking at Allison still eating her dinner. Allison was a bit of a slow eater. Suddenly, the telephone rang and Lily sighed, leant over the bench and picked u the receiver.  
  
"Speak to me." She said happily. Kim snorted and sat on the bench next to Lily. "Oh hi honey, how's things?" Lily asked.  
  
"Good. How are you holding up without me?" came James's voice.  
  
"Oh, it's excruciating. I have to put up with these loud-mouthed women instead of you." She joked. Allison stuck her finger up at Lily as James chuckled.  
  
"Are you sure your not living here? Honestly, Sirius is trying to make the best of my bachelor-ness to the full extent. He's gone out and bought beer. Not Butterbeer, actual beer! Its kinda gross, but I'll drink it." He said. Lily laughed and shook her head.  
  
"You missing me?" she asked, twirling the phone cord in her fingers.  
  
"I am. I'm missing your cooking." He said. Lily leant against Kim and made a face of mock disgust.  
  
"Excuse me? Is that all you miss?" she demanded.  
  
"Well, today I've had nothing but sweets and Chinese take-out. Tell me you wouldn't get sick of it too." He said. Lily chuckled as she heard Sirius's protests in the background.  
  
"Yeah well, I'll send Eve with some fruits and veggies shall I?" she asked. James laughed.  
  
"Please! I never thought I'd be saying this y'know. You've corrupted me woman." He said. Lily laughed and sighed.  
  
"What did you ring for anyway?" she asked. Kim smiled and began platting Lily's hair.  
  
"Well, I wanted to say goodnight." He said bashfully. Lily smiled, as she could almost hear his smiling.  
  
"And that you love me and cant possibly live without me?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. Lily chuckled as she watched Allison making gagging actions at the table.  
  
"Yeah, that too." He said. Lily laughed and kissed the mouth-end of the phone.  
  
"I love you." She said. She smiled as she heard James very dramatically kiss the receiver and sigh.  
  
"I love you too." He said. She laughed as she heard Sirius, Remus and Peter yell 'I love you' in the background.  
  
"Night you idiot." She chuckled. James chuckled.  
  
"Night." He said. Lily smiled, turned around and hung up the phone. She turned back slightly to allow Kim to continue playing with her hair.  
  
"Oh Trinity, I love you too." Allison said, standing up and taking Trinity's hand. Trinity laughed, put her hand on Allison's waist and they began dancing the tango. Lily laughed and threw an empty chocolate frog box at them.  
  
"Stop making fun." She said. Allison and Trinity laughed and broke apart. "Besides, you two are no different." She said, smirking.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Allison said, brining her plate over to the sink. Kim laughed and put the finishing touches in Lily's hair.  
  
"I wonder what the boys are doing now." She said. Lily chuckled and patted Kim's knee in thanks.  
  
"Probably something manly and vulgar."  
  
***  
  
"Gin!" Sirius said, throwing his cards down. James laughed and Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
"Padfoot, we're playing poker!" he said. Sirius laughed and pulled all the chocolate frogs from the center towards him.  
  
"Look at my face. Do you see me caring?" he asked, giving Remus a straight face. Peter laughed and began shuffling the cards as James stretched next to him.  
  
"Another game?" he asked, ruffling his hair unnecessarily. Remus yawned and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, one more." He said. Peter nodded and began dealing cards. Sirius collected his and held them closely to his face, looking suspiciously at the others around him.  
  
"Ok Moony, you got any queens?" James asked, looking at his cards. Remus rolled his eyes and smiled.  
  
"Go fish." He said, playing along with him. James chuckled, picked a card out of his deck and exchanged it for another.  
  
"So, what are they doing tonight?" Peter asked, sorting out his cards. James sighed and sat back in his chair.  
  
"Dunno. Nothing by the sounds of it. It sounded rather quiet." He said.  
  
"Ah well, at least we know they're not... 'entertaining'." He said, taking two cards out and swapping them. Remus chuckled and frowned at his deal.  
  
"They haven't got anyone TO entertain. We're all here." He said smirking. Peter chuckled at Sirius's stunned expression.  
  
"Wow Moony. You're acting rather bold lately." James said, sounding impressed. Remus looked at him over his cards and winked.  
  
"Why not? You two are always the ones saying I need to act more cocky." He said, indicating to James and Sirius.  
  
"Since when do you listen to us?" Sirius asked, putting a chocolate frog into the center. Remus chuckled and shrugged. "You wanna take the bike out for a spin? Become a real sex object?" Sirius offered. Remus laughed.  
  
"Maybe some other time Sirius." He said. James chuckled and put two chocolate frogs into the center.  
  
"Speaking of which, did you contact that wizard I told you about?" James asked Sirius. Sirius nodded and looked at James over his cards.  
  
"Yeah. He said he could do it, although he kinda cracked it at me. 'On such short notice? You must be insane young man!'." Sirius said, imitating the slightly high-pitched voice of the wizard they were talking about. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Good. You think she'll like it?" he asked.  
  
"Are you kidding Prongs? She'll flip." Peter said, changing a few of his cards over. James smiled at Remus's enthusiastic nodding.  
  
"Good, cause I want it to be memorable." He said. Sirius smiled cheekily and deposited two more frogs in the center.  
  
"You know, I could definitely arrange that for...'  
  
"No! Thanks anyway Sirius." James said loudly, cutting Sirius off. Sirius chuckled and looked at Peter.  
  
"Wormtail? Your move." He said. Peter frowned, considered his cards and sighed.  
  
"No, I'm out." He said. Sirius smirked and looked expectantly at Remus.  
  
"Moony?" he asked. Remus sighed and put his cards down also.  
  
"Nup. I fold." He said. Sirius chuckled and turned to James.  
  
"So, it comes down to this." He said, looking at James with mock dangerous eyes. James raised an eyebrow and nodded, keeping a straight face.  
  
"You got the balls to take me on?" he asked. Sirius smirked and threw another frog into the center. James smiled cockily and threw another two in. Sirius sighed, looked at his cards and then back to at James.  
  
Both of them had a neutral face, and were finding it very hard to do so with Remus and Peter's surpassed laughter.  
  
Finally, after 30 long seconds, Sirius cracked and put his cards down.  
  
"Alright, I give." He said.  
  
"Ha!" James cried out triumphantly and threw his cards down, revealing them. Sirius's mouth dropped open.  
  
"You bluffed me?" he asked outraged. James laughed and dragged the frogs to his side of the square table.  
  
"Fair and square." He said happily. Sirius clucked his tongue, got out of his seat and shoved James off his onto the floor. James laughed, got up and grabbed Sirius by the knee's making him crash to the ground.  
  
"You tosser!" Sirius laughed and began wrestling with James on the floor, only being encouraged by Remus and Peter's cheering.  
  
***  
  
"At fist I was afraid, I was petrified...kept thinking I could never live without you by my side...but then I spent so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong...I learnt how to get along...' The girls sang at the top of their lungs, jumping on Lily's bed in their pajamas wile singing into their hairbrushes.  
  
"...And so your back, from outer space...I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face...I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key...if I'd had know for just one second, you'd be back to bother me...'  
  
They were singing along with the radio, not caring that they could wake up the neighbors.  
  
"Oh now go...walk out the door...just turn around now, cause your not welcome anymore...weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye, you'd think I'd crumble...did you think I'd lay down and die...'  
  
Lily jumped off the bed, spun around in a circle, got down on her knees and looked down at the girls still jumping on the bed in time with the beat.  
  
"Oh no not I...I will survive...oh now as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive...I've got all my life to live, and I've got all my love to give and I'll survive...I will survive...hey hey!"  
  
Allison, Kim and Trinity all fell down onto the bed, laughing hard as Lily crawled over to them, wiping her eyes.  
  
"Oh man...oh, I cant breathe!" Allison said, clutching her side. Lily chuckled, and Kim reached over to turn the radio down. Slowly, they began to calm down.  
  
"Lily, you sure know how to make your houseguests feel at home." Trinity said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder out of her face. Lily smiled as Allison put her feet in Lily's lap.  
  
"Hey, my house is open to you all. You know that." She said, massaging Allison's feet over her socks.  
  
"Even me?" Kim asked, brushing Trinity's long hair with long, smooth strokes. Lily laughed and nodded.  
  
"Of course even you. You're family." She said. Kim smiled a dazzling smile and winked at her cousin. "I do have a question for you though missy." Lily said, looking accusingly up at Allison.  
  
"Oh, what have I done now?" she asked.  
  
"The Hen's night you've been planning. I want to know what it involves." She said. Allison looked down at her with amazement.  
  
"Excuse me, but you're not allowed to know." She said. Trinity snorted behind Allison.  
  
"Imagine us telling you what's going to happen. Where's the fun in that you stiff." She said, smirking at Lily. Lily chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"Firstly, I'm not a stiff. Secondly, I just want to make sure its not too...way out there. Just remember, mum and Bethany are going to be there and...'  
  
"Yes Lily, I know. Don't get you knickers in a twist. I know what you like and what you don't. That kinda happens when you've known someone since you were 11." She said, smiling warmly down at Lily.  
  
"Oh, feel the love." Trinity said, smirking. Lily chuckled and patted Allison's feet.  
  
"I do, don't worry." She said, winking at Allison.  
  
There were a few moments of content silence, before Kim finished brushing Trinity's hair and sighed.  
  
"Well, since none of you oldies are going to strike up conversation I will. Lily, what are you wearing on your honeymoon?"  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
* A/N – Well, there we have another chapter. I guess most of the next few chapters will be just little floater ones, as the most important event is coming up!  
  
Ok, and a little info about me...the two women I admire the most in the HP universe would defiantly have to be Hermione and Lily. They are the best.  
  
Please review! 


	22. Chapter 22

* Chapter 22! Yay, we're getting there slowly. Oh, and can I just shout out my opinion for a second? Well, see in my mind I have the perfect actor to play Voldemort in GOF. You know they guy who plays Wormtonge in LOTR? Yeah, Brad Dourif. He's my Voldemort.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Wake up!" Lily said happily, jumping on Trinity. She grunted as Lily lay down on top of her.  
  
"Evans, piss off!" Trinity laughed, pushing Lily off her. Lily chuckled and rolled off her, sitting on the bed next to her.  
  
"Come on, get up." She said, hitting Trinity over the blankets. Trinity yawned and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked, sitting up slightly.  
  
"10 past 8." Lily said happily. Trinity groaned and flopped back down onto her pillow. "Come on, Allison's up." Lily said, pointing to the door. Trinity snorted.  
  
"And THAT'S meant to motivate me is it?" she asked. Lily chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"Well that, and I figured you could come jump on Kim with me." She said happily. Trinity laughed and pulled back her covers slightly.  
  
"Yeah, but why so early?" she asked, running a hand through her hair which was sticking up on one side. Lily smiled and got up off the bed.  
  
"Cause, James is coming over." She said. Trinity looked at Lily with horror.  
  
"He's what? Excuse me woman, but he's not allowed to see you until...'  
  
"Oh, he'll only be here for a few minutes! Jeez, you'd think we were in solitary confinement or something." Lily said, cutting Trinity off. Trinity looked at Lily suspiciously.  
  
"What does boss lady say about this?" she asked. Lily rolled her eyes and pulled her shirt down slightly.  
  
"Allison gave her consent." Lily said patronizingly. This seemed to be good enough for Trinity as she pulled herself lazily out of bed and stretched her arms up towards the ceiling.  
  
"Alright then. But I'm not getting dressed just for him you know." She said, smirking. Lily laughed and leant against the doorframe. "I don't think he would care." Lily said, folding her arms over her chest. Trinity chuckled, put her hair up in a messy ponytail and scratched her stomach.  
  
"Ok, lead the way." She yawned again. Lily smiled and led Trinity down the hall to Kim's room. Lily chuckled silently as she pushed the door open and looked into the room. Trinity snorted as she saw Kim asleep on the bed, her mouth hanging wide open and half of her body hanging off the edge.  
  
"Ok, ready?" Lily whispered excitedly. Trinity nodded and smiled.  
  
The two women ran forward and jumped onto Kim, shaking her. Kim screamed and nearly fell onto the floor.  
  
"Wakey Wakey sunshine!" Trinity said, kissing Kim on the cheek. Kim groaned and laughed.  
  
"Get off me you cows!" she laughed, tickling Lily so she would move. Lily squirmed so much that she fell off the bed and landed on the floor with a THUMP.  
  
Trinity laughed and went to say something witty in response, when...  
  
"BREAKFAST!" Allison called from downstairs. Trinity sighed, got off Kim and walked over Lily. Lily chuckled, got up and she and Kim followed her out into the hall.  
  
**  
  
"Wow Lily...sexy!" Allison said, holding up a pair of red lingerie. Lily rolled her eyes at Trinity and Kim's catcalls.  
  
"Its for the Honeymoon!" she said, snatching it out of Allison's grasp. Kim laughed and threw a pair of socks at Lily.  
  
"Good to know you're prepared Evans." Trinity said, folding a pair of Levi's up and putting them in a suitcase.  
  
The girls were packing for the Honeymoon. Lily had tried to do it alone, but her bridesmaids had insisted. The problem was, that Lily still had no idea where she was going for her honeymoon. All James had told her was to pack for all occasions and for warm weather. Lily could tell that they were definitely going somewhere warm, but exactly where was still a mystery.  
  
As Lily placed some more pairs of socks in her case, the doorbell rang.  
  
"Oh, that's James!" Lily said excitedly. Allison laughed as Lily practically tripped over herself to get up off the floor. She ran out of the room hurriedly, leaving the other three alone to talk.  
  
"Thank god. We can finally have two seconds without her! How are we meant to plan secret things when she's always around?" Trinity said jokingly, keeping her voice low. Allison chuckled.  
  
"I know. I mean, how are meant to discuss the...'  
  
"AHHHH!"  
  
Allison was rudely cut off by Lily's horrified screams from downstairs. The three women all exchanged a confused glance for a moment before the hurriedly got up off the floor, ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. They walked into the entrance hall to see Lily standing there with wide eyes of horror.  
  
"Oh my god!" Allison said, covering her mouth with her hand as she realized what caused Lily to scream.  
  
James and Sirius were standing in the doorway, looking at Lily with a mixture of amusement and fear. This wouldn't seem strange, except for the fact that James's hair was platinum blonde, and Sirius's hair was bright purple.  
  
"James! What the hell have you done?" Lily yelled angrily. James flinched.  
  
"Lily, calm down. You don't understand." He said. Lily looked ready to throttle him.  
  
"Don't understand? Are you insane James? Oh and only a few days before the wedding!" she said, putting her face in her hands and walking into the living room.  
  
"No, Lily really..." Sirius started.  
  
"And you! Letting him do it!" She said, pointing an accusing finger at Sirius.  
  
"Lily, just...'  
  
"No. Now, when you suggested Hagrid should be the flower girl...yes, I can see how that would amuse you...'  
  
"But Lily...' James tried again.  
  
"And then your suggestion about providing gift bags with condoms in them with notes saying 'Here, I hope you get as lucky as us tonight', yes, I can see the funny side of that too...' she continued, pacing on front of him.  
  
"Lily...'  
  
"But this James...this is really testing my...'  
  
"LILY!" James yelled, grabbing her by the upper arms. Lily looked at him with hard eyes. "Lily, it's not real." He said. Lily looked at his hair, and then back at him as if trying to judge his sincerity.  
  
"It's...it's not?" she asked, her lip shaking. James smiled and shook his head.  
  
"No, it's only a charm. Moony thought it would be funny to change our hair change color for the day, so we did it this morning." He said, rubbing her arms reassuringly. Lily considered him for a moment.  
  
"Seriously Lils, do you think he'd have the balls to do this to you only 4 days before the wedding?" Sirius asked, walking up behind James. Lily looked at Sirius, then back at James.  
  
"Well, I guess not." She said, smirking. James laughed and kissed her.  
  
"I'm sorry. I should have warned you on the phone." He said. Lily chuckled and hugged him.  
  
"Its ok. Its just a bit...different." She said, running a hand through his hair. Sirius laughed and walked over to Allison.  
  
"Hello darling. How are you?" he asked, kissing her cheek. Allison chuckled and tugged on his leather jacket.  
  
"I'm good. But, why purple?" she asked. Sirius chuckled and shrugged. He turned to Trinity and Kim behind Allison.  
  
"Trinity. Kim." He said, smiling charmingly at them. Trinity nodded respectfully, but Kim blushed very brightly.  
  
"Hi Sirius." She said, smiling. Allison looked at Kim in mock challenge, but Kim simply smiled and walked over to James.  
  
"I like it, you know, once you get over the initial shock and everything." She said. James chuckled as Kim played with his hair.  
  
"You should see Peter's. Fluro yellow! And Moony's bright blue. I tell you, we look hot." James said, winking at Lily. She laughed, feeling much more at ease at the fact that this color was only a simply charm.  
  
"Well, as touching as this reunion is, go get what you came for Potter and get the hell out!" Allison said, looking accusingly at James. James laughed and let go of Lily.  
  
"Alright, alright. Come on Padfoot." He said and reluctantly left the four girls in the entrance hall.  
  
Once they were alone, Allison turned to Lily and snorted.  
  
"You ok?" she chuckled. Lily smiled and shook her head.  
  
"Stupid asshole. Honestly, if that had been real..." she trailed off, looking menacingly off into space. Kim laughed.  
  
"But, like Sirius said, he wouldn't have the balls." She said. Trinity chuckled and put her arms around Lily's shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, come on...let's get back to our packing."  
  
******  
  
"She was going to kill me." James said, flopping down on the couch. Sirius laughed and kicked his shoes off.  
  
"She was not. She was just a bit...surprised." He said, sitting down next to James.  
  
"No, she was going to kill me. She would have married a dead man." He said, staring into space.  
  
"Who's a necrophiliac?" Remus asked, walking into the room. James snorted as Sirius took his leather jacket off.  
  
"No-one Moony. Lily just had a little spaz over James's new hair." He said, shaking with suppressed laughter. Remus looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She didn't like it?" he asked, running a hand through his blue hair. James chuckled and mimicked his gesture.  
  
"Not exactly." He said, smirking. Remus chuckled and went back to his book.  
  
"Where's Wormtail?" Sirius asked, looking around.  
  
"He said he had things to do." Remus said, turning the page in his book. James frowned slightly.  
  
"Did he say what time he'd be back?" he asked, scratching his arm. Remus shook his head and continued to read. "That's strange. He's being nearly as mysterious as you." James said, smirking at Remus.  
  
"Yeah, are you two having a secreat affair or something?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Christ Moony, what does Trinity say about all this?" James asked.  
  
"Maybe she's in on it." Sirius said, looking at James.  
  
"Hmm, kinky. Even for the wolf-man." James said, nodding in agreement with Sirius.  
  
"Are you two quite done?" Remus asked, looking at the two men over the top of his book. James and Sirius chuckled. "Don't you get too cocky. You forget, our chance for payback is coming up in two days." Remus said casually, going back to his book.  
  
James's expression changed from amusement to worry in a split second as he looked at Sirius.  
  
"Oh right. The bachelor party." He said, chuckling nervously. Sirius sighed dramatically and stretched his legs out lazily.  
  
"Oh yeah. The party." He said, smirking. James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I hope you haven't done anything rash." He said. Remus snorted as Sirius sat up straighter and smiled warmly at James.  
  
"Just relax James. You're in good hands." He said. James opened his mouth to comment, but Sirius leant forward and pressed his finger to James's lips. "Shh, don't spoil the moment." He whispered. And without another word, he got up, walked into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.  
  
James turned back to Remus in a daze, feeling very confused.  
  
"What the hell?" he asked. Remus chuckled and turned the page again.  
  
"Don't even try to guess what he's doing. You'll drive yourself mad." He said. James chuckled and relaxed back into the sofa.  
  
"Probably." He said. Remus smiled, but remained silent as he continued to read.  
  
James let out a huff as he looked around the living room.  
  
"Remus, tell me something I don't know." He said. Remus looked up at James for a second, before going back to his book.  
  
"You look like Albert Einstein crossed with a cotton bud." He said casually. James chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"And you look like someone dipped your head in dishwashing detergent." He said, throwing a cushion at him. Remus laughed, marked his page and put his book down.  
  
"Alright then, something you don't know...' he trailed off, thinking. James smiled as he watched Remus think. After a few seconds, Remus smiled and looked at James.  
  
"You remember that time in 4th year when you found that goat tied to your bed in the middle of the night, and it ended up eating you hair and half your clothes?" he asked. James laughed and nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember that." He said, running a hand through his hair at the memory.  
  
"Yeah, well Lily put that there." He said casually. James stared at Remus with complete shock.  
  
"Lily? As in...my Lily?" he asked. Remus chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah." He said. James let out a short laugh.  
  
"The little minx! I can't believe that! It shit all in my trunk that night." He said, thinking back. Remus laughed and nodded. "Wow. Maybe she really IS one of us. I would never have thought Lily would do something like that to me." He said, sounding impressed by her prank. Remus chuckled.  
  
"Just remember, she loathed you then. I imagine it wouldn't have been to hard for her to put you through that." He said. James chuckled and leant back into the couch again.  
  
"And I suppose me putting spiders in her goblet at breakfast that morning didn't help either." He said, picking at his fingernails. Remus snorted and picked his book up again.  
  
"No, I suppose not." He said.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me anyway?" James asked, slightly outraged.  
  
"I only found out last year." He said defensively, finding his place in his book. James sighed and nodded.  
  
"She really is great isn't she?" James asked, staring dreamily off into space. Remus smiled at his best friend and nodded.  
  
"Yeah mate. She is."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
* A/N – how funny. I can see Lily giving as good as she gets. So, who's up for a flashback? Next chapter maybe?  
  
Please review! 


	23. Chapter 23

* Chapter 23! Sorry I'm being a bit slack guys, but you have no idea how much homework I've got!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
* (FLASHBACK) *  
  
"Ahhh!" James screamed, jumping out of bed. Sirius sat bolt upright, looking around madly.  
  
"What? What?" he asked, looking around frantically. Remus rolled out of bed in surprise and looked up at James. Remus snorted, picked himself up off the ground and stared openly at the scene in front of him.  
  
James was wrestling with a goat that was lying on top of him, eating his hair and biting on his nose. James shoved the goat off him and jumped out of bed, looking around in confusion. Sirius fell back onto his bed, laughing hard.  
  
"Shut up Sirius! Where the hell did this come from?" James yelled, holding up the rope tied to the goat, making it stumble off his bed.  
  
"Someone must have put it in here." Peter said, wrapping his dressing gown around him.  
  
"Oh no. Do you really think so Peter? I was...under the impression...it flew in our...window!" James snapped irritably, dragging the goat towards the dormitory door.  
  
"James, check out your clothes!" Sirius laughed, pointing at James's trunk. James spun around and looked at his belongings. They were half-eaten and saturated with what could have only been...  
  
"Urgh, disgusting animal! You pissed in my trunk!" James said. Remus chuckled as James pulled open the dormitory door and kicked the goat out of the room. It stumbled a few steps, before turning around and sniffing at James's pajamas.  
  
"James, take it out." Sirius chuckled, getting off the bed and walking over to his best friend. "Come on buddy, lets get you out of here." He said patronizingly to the goat, taking the rope off James.  
  
"Come on. We can take him to Hagrid." Remus laughed, getting his shoes on. James glared as Sirius walked calmly out of the dorm and down the stairs.  
  
"Lets go." Remus said, and he James and Peter followed them down to the common room.  
  
Once the 4 boys got down there however, James was very distressed to see that most of Gryffindor Tower had woken up from his yells, and were now down in the common room, wondering what on earth was going on.  
  
"Black, what's going on?" a 5th year asked, looking suspiciously at the goat. It was munching on the hem of James's robes.  
  
"Just a small misunderstanding. This goat seems to have taken a fancy to the taste of the new Bertie Bott's flavor, James Potter. Not to worry though, it's all going to be ok. Remus, take the goat back." Sirius said happily, holding the rope out to Remus.  
  
"Me? Why me?" he asked, taking a step back. Sirius smirked at many giggles arising from the crowd as he shoved the rope in his hands.  
  
"Cause, you have a good record with the teachers." He said, batting his eyes lashes. Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
"Remus, get rid of it!" James snapped as he pushed the goat away from his clothes, leaving a huge slag of drool behind. Remus snorted and nodded.  
  
"Ok, ok. Come on Peter." He chuckled. Peter nodded and he and Remus dragged the goat away from James and out the portrait hole. James sighed with relief and turned to Sirius to say something, when he heard a familiar chuckle behind him.  
  
"Nice look Potter. I think you should keep that goat around."  
  
James spun around to see the girl of his dreams, Lily Evans surrounded by her giggling roommates, looking very smug indeed. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander along her body at her summer pajamas. James smirked, his irritation gone in a second.  
  
"Why Lillian, what ever do you mean?" he asked, giving her a charming smile. Lily smirked and folded her arms over her chest.  
  
"Don't tell me you haven't looked in the mirror in the past 30 seconds. Gee, now that must be a record. How are you coping, are you alright?" she asked, putting on mock concern. James raised an eyebrow and looked in the nearest mirror. And his mouth dropped open.  
  
His hair was sticking up at one angle as was stuck together by droll left behind from the goat. A patch of hair was missing from the left side of his head and there were traces of goat hair in it.  
  
James spun around and attempted to flatten it down to its usual messiness. He shook his hand of the dribble and glared at Sirius.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered harshly. Sirius smirked and shrugged.  
  
"I thought you looked normal." He said. James wiped his slimy hand down Sirius's front and turned back to Lily.  
  
"I didn't know you took such an interest in my appearance Evans. Maybe you really DO have the hots for me." He said, smirking. Lily flared up and took a step towards him.  
  
"You know, I really congratulate whoever put that goat in your room. You deserve anything you get." She said, pointing a finger at him. James smiled and folded his arms over his chest. He loved it when she got mad.  
  
"Oh Lily, is all this hostility because I put tarantula's in your goblet this morning?" he asked, sighing. Lily glared at him, recalling the memory. Lily hated spiders.  
  
"That, and because you're a big headed, egotistical prat." She snapped flatly.  
  
By now, none of the students had moved from the common room. They were all too interested in the fight now evolving between Lily and James. The two of them were famous for their rivalry.  
  
"Who is also one of the best looking guys in the school." James added, running a hand through his hair. But he cringed as he collected another wipe of drool in his hands.  
  
Lily glared at him, smirked and then muttered something to Allison next to her, who laughed out loud. James raised an eyebrow as Lily took another angry step towards him.  
  
"Maybe someone should stick a large pin in your pillow to deflate your overly inflated head. I can't imagine there's much room for a brain in there with all that hot air." She said, putting her hands on her hips. James snorted. He was far used to her insults to care.  
  
"Would you be in my room, holding the pin?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Lily cried out, threw her arms up in frustration and headed for the girls staircase.  
  
"I'm going to marry you one day Evans." He blurted out to her. Everyone in the room was silent as Lily froze. She spun around and looked down at him with a death glare.  
  
"What did you just say to me Potter?" she asked icily. James smiled.  
  
"You heard me." He said, folding his arms over his chest. Sirius snorted behind him as Lily stormed down the stairs, walked up to James and glared up at him.  
  
"The day I marry you is the day hell freezes over, and then thores out...and then freezes over again!" she snapped, poking him in the chest. James chuckled and softly took her hand.  
  
"I look forward to that day." He said, kissing her hand. Lily pulled her hand out of his grasp and looked at him disgusted.  
  
"Screw you James Potter." She snapped. She gave him and Sirius one final glare before she turned on her heal, flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed up the staircase, followed by Allison.  
  
James watched her go and sighed.  
  
"I WILL marry her one day Sirius." James said. Sirius chuckled and patted his friend on the back.  
  
"Lets not hold out breath."  
  
* (END FLASHBACK) *  
  
"Going to the chapel and we're, gonna get married...going to the chapel and we're, gonna get married...gee I really love you and we're, gonna get married...going to the chapel of love." Lily sang, wiping the kitchen bench.  
  
"Lily, have you ever considered making singing your profession?" Allison asked, walking into the room. Lily chuckled and threw the cloth into the sink.  
  
"No. I'm not THAT good." She said, picking up her duster. Allison looked at Lily with her eyes wide.  
  
"Are you insane girl? You're excellent!" she said. Lily smiled and continued to dust the photo frames on the wall.  
  
"You're sweet. Wrong, but sweet." She said. Allison chuckled and threw a dirty rag at Lily's back.  
  
"So, three more days!" she said excitedly. Lily quivered with excitement and looked at Allison.  
  
"Three days is too bloody long." She said. Allison laughed.  
  
"So, just elope then." She said, standing up and going to the fridge. She looked at Lily's expression and her smile faded quickly. "Lily, I was joking." She said.  
  
Lily looked at Allison for a moment, before she smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I know." She said airily. Allison looked at Lily suspiciously.  
  
"Lily Paige Evans, if you run off and elope, I will never forgive you." She said, taking a bottle of Butterbeer out of the fridge. Lily laughed and turned back to Allison.  
  
"I wont! I promise." She said, laying the duster across her heart.  
  
"Cross your heart and kiss your elbow?" Kim asked, walking into the room. Lily chuckled and Allison looked at her.  
  
"You're eavesdropping will get you in trouble soon." She said, pointing at Kim.  
  
"Yeah, but until then...' she said, taking the bottle off Allison and taking a sip. Lily turned around to say something, but her mouth dropped open as she spotted her cousin.  
  
"Kim! What have you done?" she asked, dropping the duster on the table. Kim flinched slightly at Lily's horrified expression. Kim's hair was back to its natural blonde, and her black die with blue streaks was gone.  
  
"Well, I figured you would want it this way. You know, no outstanding expressionism in your line-up. So, Trinity charmed it back to blonde." She said bashfully.  
  
"No way! Kim, I want YOU in the wedding, not this blond-haired stranger." Lily said, running her hand gently along Kim's hair.  
  
"Really?" Kim asked hopefully. Lily rolled her eyes and smiled.  
  
"Of course, you doofus. Now, go get Trinity to take that off." She said, pointing at the kitchen door. Kim laughed and nodded.  
  
"Alright. Thanks Lil's." she said. Lily smiled and hit her backside as Kim left. Lily chuckled and turned to Allison, who was looking at her with a very warm expression.  
  
"Oh, what now?" she sighed, smirking. Allison chuckled.  
  
"You're going to be a great mum." She said simply. Lily snorted and sat down opposite her best friend.  
  
"Um, ok then. What makes you say that?" she asked.  
  
"I can just tell. Don't ever worry about if you're doing anything wrong." Allison said, taking Lily's hand. Lily smiled and kissed Allison's knuckles.  
  
"Thanks." She said.  
  
The two of them shared a few seconds of comfortable silence, before Trinity stuck her head in the kitchen, looking very excited about something.  
  
"Oh my god. Lily, come see this guy on TV! The pecks on this guys are..." Trinity trailed off, looking very aroused. Lily and Allison jumped quickly out of their seats and followed Trinity back into the living room.  
  
***  
  
"Ok, so we've got the girls ready?" Sirius whispered. Remus nodded.  
  
"Yep. You wanted witches right?" he asked, making a note on his list. Sirius nodded and turned to Peter.  
  
"You got the grog?" he whispered. Peter nodded.  
  
"Its in the spare fridge in the basement." He whispered, pointing to the floor. Sirius chuckled softly and nodded.  
  
"Great. Ok, so that only leaves the spells on the apartment. But we leave that until the last minute." He whispered. Remus nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by James's snore and grunt. The three Marauders looked over nervously as James rolled over on the couch, but otherwise didn't move. They let out a sigh of relief as James relaxed.  
  
Remus, Peter and Sirius were putting together the finishing touches of the bachelor party as James slept on the couch. They figured this would probably be the best time, as they had to be ready by tomorrow night.  
  
"How long has he been lying there?" Peter whispered, ticking something off his list.  
  
"About 2 hours. The boy can sleep, there no denying that." Remus said quietly. Sirius chuckled and looked at his best friend. His hair was sticking up at even more unusual angles than normal and his glasses were askew on his face.  
  
"So, what else is there to...'  
  
"Shh." Sirius said, cutting Peter off with a wave of his hand. He pressed a finger to his lips and then pointed at James. Remus and Peter turned in their seats to look at him. James was stirring and he appeared to be dreaming.  
  
"Mmm...Lily...I want...' he mumbled. Remus snorted, as it was rather obvious what he was dreaming about.  
  
"Poor guy. I seriously admire his stamina. I wouldn't be able to last as long as he has." Sirius said softly, folding up his piece of paper. Peter nodded as James tossed again.  
  
"No...yeah there." James mumbled, smirking. Sirius snorted as James did some rather unusual actions with his hands in the air.  
  
"If only Lily knew that he's been having dreams about her like this since he were 13." Sirius whispered. Remus chuckled.  
  
"He won't have to in a few days." He said, taking a sip of his drink. Peter nodded as James mumbled a bit more, turned over once more and then finally relaxed into the couch again.  
  
The three men watched him for a moment, before Sirius sighed and stood up.  
  
"Oh, and hey, did you hear the latest news?" he asked. Remus and Peter looked at him in confusion.  
  
"No, what?" Remus asked. Sirius smirked, took Peter and Remus's empty mugs and sighed.  
  
"Hell froze over, thored out and then froze over again."  
  
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* A/N – Don't worry, its coming! I know it seems to be taking forever, but we'll get there eventually!  
  
Please review! 


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24! Yay, here's the guy's party. The next chapter will be the Hen's night. I hope I can pull this off!  
  
"Wormtail, let go of me!" James laughed, trying to pry Peter's hand away from his face.  
  
"No, it's a surprise. Now, no peeking." He said, guiding James up the steps of Sirius's house with James's glasses resting on top of his head. James sighed, but kept his arms out in front of him. He blindly took one step, then another, and then another until they were safely on the front porch.  
  
"Ok, hang on." James heard Peter say. James sighed as he felt Peter lean forward and produce some sort of secret knock on the door. James smirked, finding the fact that they had even concocted a secret door knock rather amusing.  
  
There was a few seconds pause, before James heard the door swing open. The smell of alcohol was already present as James silently crossed the threshold into the house. He heard the door close behind him, but Peter had still not removed his hand.  
  
"Sirius? Remus? You here?" James asked, waving his hands out in front of him. There wasn't a sound coming from anywhere in the house. He jumped slightly as he felt someone grab his arms.  
  
"Greetings my friend. My name is Sirius Black, and I will be your host tonight." James heard him say.  
  
"In the grand tradition of Stag nights, which very ironically fits you,' Sirius muttered in James ear '...we have decided to not lash out extravagantly, but stay with the basics. Mr. Moony, proceed." James heard Sirius step back and someone, probably Remus, grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. His eyes were still covered.  
  
"Mr. Prongs, we present you...your Stag night." And finally, Peter removed his hands excitedly from James face.  
  
"SURPRISE!" called many people. James squinted into the darkness, put his glasses on and his mouth dropped open.  
  
The entire living room was no more. It had been enlarged about 10 times and it was now replaced with what could only be described as the set-up of a strip club. There was a bar to his left, lit along the sides by neon tubing. There were bar stools and tables all around the house and music was now playing rather loudly in the background. There were cages scattered periodically around the room, containing what James now realized where dancers, wearing rather revealing clothes.  
  
James looked through the misty air to see many of his classmates from school sitting already at the bar, accompanied by his father and Lily's father.  
  
Sirius clapped James on the back and smiled broadly at him.  
  
"Does it have your approval Mr. Prongs?" he asked. James turned to him and looked at him in amazement.  
  
"Are you insane? This is AWESOME!" he said, grabbing Sirius in a tight hug. Sirius laughed and patted his friend on his back.  
  
"Anything for you sir." He said, pulling back. James smiled warmly at him, before turning to Remus and Peter behind him, hugging them both in turn.  
  
"James! Smashing to see you old boy!"  
  
James let go of Remus and turned around to see Jake Givens and Kip Tilley running up to him. James chuckled and shook both their hands. They were both good friends of his from class, and he and Sirius often partnered with them when the option was there. James let himself be dragged off by them to greet all his other guests.  
  
Remus sighed and turned to Sirius.  
  
"Well Padfoot, no time to waste. You and Wormtail get over to the bar and...'  
  
"Not this time Moony." Sirius said, cutting Remus off. Remus stared openly at Sirius, as did Peter.  
  
"What...what do you mean not this time?" Peter asked. Sirius looked between the two and sighed.  
  
"I'm staying right this time. It's your turn to have fun." Sirius said, pointing at Remus. Remus continued to look at Sirius in amazement.  
  
The four of them had a tradition when it came to drinking. There would always be one sober, so that they could perform the Sobering Charms the next morning or whenever necessary. And usually, that person was Remus.  
  
"But...Sirius...'  
  
"No, I mean it. Remus, go get pissed." Sirius said, a twinkle in his eyes as he pushed Remus towards the bar. Remus chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Alright then. But, what are you going to have?" he asked, walking up with Sirius and Peter to the bar.  
  
"Oh, don't worry. I provided for my own little self." Sirius said. He leapt over the bar, disappeared behind it for a second, before he re-appeared again, holding up two bottles of Coke. Peter chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Alright then. Come on Remus." He said, sitting Remus down on a stool. Remus chuckled and accepted the shot he was given.  
  
"Did you know Sirius was going to do this?" James asked, taking a sip of his beer. Richard chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"Well, I didn't know it was this EXACTLY, but I did kind of have an inkling." He said, smirking. James chuckled and shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something else, when a waitress in roller-skates and a very skimpy outfit rolled up to them, carrying a tray in her hand.  
  
"Hello boys. Care for a shot?" she asked, presenting her tray. James looked down at it to see a dozen shot glasses full of Firewhiskey. James looked at his father. Richard smirked as they reached for a glass, clinked them together and threw back their shot.  
  
James coughed slightly as it went down, but returned the glass back to the tray and smiled at the waitress. She smiled, winked and skated off to another crowd of men.  
  
"Potter, did anyone tell you you throw a great party?" Frank Longbottom said, waltzing up to James with Peter. James laughed and shook his head.  
  
"No no, Sirius planned it. I had no idea about all this." He said, looking around. Frank chuckled.  
  
"We spent all afternoon putting the charms on this place." Peter said, slouching at the memory. Richard laughed and James's ears pricked up, as the music seemed to increases in volume slightly.  
  
"Um, wont the neighbors complain about the noise?" he asked.  
  
"No way. You think I'm dumb enough not to put a silencing charm on this place?" Remus said, walking up next to him. James laughed not just at this comment, but also at the fact that Remus was already staring to get a little tipsy. Alcohol and the werewolf obviously didn't mix too well. Remus wasn't usually a very big drinker.  
  
"Come on Prongs." Remus said, throwing his arm around James's shoulder and dragging him off. James laughed as Remus led him over to a large chair up on a sort of podium. It looked to be the same as the one Dumbledore sat in at meals, but it had the words '4 eyed, Big head boy' written on it. James laughed as Remus sat him down in it.  
  
"This is your throne for the night good sir. Everyone, get over here!" Remus yelled. The music died down as the men made their way over to where James sat. They stood in a group in front of him.  
  
"Make way, make way. I'm the Best Man, excuse me!" Sirius said, pushing his way through the crowd. He stumbled through and made his way smoothly to the front of the group.  
  
"Welcome friends. Now, as you all know, our esteemed friend James Potter, is soon to be a bachelor no more." He said, laying a hand across his heart. Many disappointed groans rose from the crowd. James chuckled and Sirius went on.  
  
"Now, I suppose there is no need to explain to you all why you have been called here, but I will say it anyway. We are here to make the best of this time by getting Mr. Prongs as drunk as humanly possible!" he called happily. The men all cried out loudly yin agreement. James laughed as Sirius pushed his chest out importantly and raised his bottle of coke.  
  
"To James, 4 eyed Potter!" he called. The men laughed, echoed him and they all sculled their drinks. James chuckled as Sirius sat down on his lap and kissed his forehead. "You having fun?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink. James smiled and wrapped his arm reflexively around Sirius's waist.  
  
"I am actually. Thanks so much for this." He said. Sirius smiled and winked down at his best friend as the crowd dispersed again.  
  
"Think nothing of it mate. Oh, I almost forgot." He said. Sirius pulled out his wand, pointed it at a small mirror on the opposite wall and said...  
  
"Alohomora." The spell hit the mirror, bounced off it, went in different directions and hit the locks of the cages containing the dancers. The doors opened and the girls all walked out, wandering over to the surrounding men.  
  
"Um, Sirius...are they...'  
  
"Don't worry. I've told them to stay away from you. You're forbidden territory." Sirius said, cutting James's concern off. James smiled up at Sirius and nodded. Sirius knew that the only girl who was allowed to touch him (besides his mother) was Lily.  
  
"Then, why did you hire them?" James chuckled. Sirius smiled.  
  
"They're here for them." He said, waving his hands at the group of men, cheering as one of the girls gave Lily's father a lap dance. James snorted at the expression on Andrew's face and nodded.  
  
"Fair enough." He said simply. There was a few seconds of comfortable silence between the two friends, before Sirius jumped off James's lap and pulled him out of the chair.  
  
"Enough of that! Get out there!" Sirius said, shoving James towards the center of the room. James laughed, adjusted his glasses and nodded.  
  
"Alright, alright. I'm going!" he said.  
  
Sirius chuckled as he watched his friend walk off into the crowd. He smiled, shivered and followed.  
  
"SKULL, SKULL, SKULL..." the men cheered as James tried desperately to down a large glass of Firewhiskey. James was feeling very sick as he swallowed the last of his drink and slammed the empty glass down on the bar behind him. The men cheered and all stamped their feet on the ground. James chuckled as Remus walked forward and clapped him on the back.  
  
"Brilliant Prongs! Now, come sit down and get ready for the next phase of your punishment." He said, pulling James back to his chair. Peter chuckled as Remus shoved James down, making his glasses nearly fall off his head. Sirius appeared from behind the chair and waved his hands.  
  
"Alright boys. A bit of hush please. Sit down, sit down." He said. The group all went quiet, and all that could be heard was the scraping of stools as they all sat down.  
  
"Right, now this is the part of the night where we get to find out the dirty little secrets our little boy holds." He said. James groaned, but the men cheered in agreement.  
  
"Mr. Moony, you have the questions?" he asked. Remus stumbled forward and held up a piece of parchment.  
  
"I certainly do. Mr. Wormtail, the spell please." Remus said. James raised an eyebrow as Peter walked forward, carrying a large crystal ball, about the size of a bowling ball. He placed it on a small table next to James's chair, stepped back and got his wand out. He muttered a spell, making the ball glow a faint yellow for a few seconds, before it faded and went back to its misty white.  
  
"What's that?" James asked, jerking his thumb at the ball. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Insurance policy.' He muttered. James opened his mouth to comment, but Sirius cut him off loudly. "Gentleman and Gentleman, may I present to you... the Questions." He said, taking the list of Remus. Many of the men let out dramatic 'oohs' as Sirius cleared his throat.  
  
"James, place your hand on the crystal ball." He said importantly. James looked at Sirius with suspicion, but did as he was told. As soon as he did so, he felt a warmth shoot through his hand, up his arm and into his body.  
  
"This is a Truth ball. Kind of a lie detector. If Mr. Potter here tells a lie, the ball will turn blue. If he tells the truth, it will turn green. For every time the ball turns blue, Potter must down a shot of Firewhiskey." Remus said, placing his hands on his hips. James felt a pang of nervousness hit him as his party of friends cheered at the rules. What was the idea of this?  
  
"Alright, question one." Sirius said, reading off the parchment. "James Potter, was your first ever wet dream about Lillian Paige Evans?" Sirius asked. James snorted as the men all cheered, waiting to hear the answer. James sighed and shook his head in defeat.  
  
"Yes, it was." He said. There were many catcalls from the audience as the ball turned a vibrant shade of green. It lasted a few seconds, before returning a neural white. James smiled as Sirius chuckled and ruffled the parchment unnecessarily.  
  
"Right then, question two. When you masturbate, is the woman you think of always Lillian Paige Evans?" he asked. More cheers arose from the crowd as James laughed.  
  
"Yes, I suppose so." He chuckled. Sirius smiled as the ball flashed greed again, before fading. James chuckled as his father's expression. James was feeling rather embarrassed by these questions, but he was far too tipsy to care.  
  
"Right, question three. Are you a virgin?" Sirius asked. James looked up at Sirius.  
  
"You know the answer to that." He muttered.  
  
"Yes, but they don't. Now please, for the audience state your answer." He said. The whole crowd went silent as James hesitated.  
  
"I'm not a virgin. I'm just...sexually challenged." He said. The party laughed and cheered as the ball turned blue. James smiled and shook his head as Remus clapped him on the back. James chuckled as Peter held out a shot glass for him. James took it, downed the drink quickly and tossed the glass back to Peter.  
  
"No shame in it James." He said loudly over the cheering. James smiled up at him and looked expectantly at Sirius.  
  
"Right, question 4."  
  
This questionnaire went on for a good 10 minutes, each question producing a mixture of red and blue. Finally, after many moments of embarrassment and downed shots later, Sirius came to the final question.  
  
"And finally, the most important question of them all. Question 35." Sirius said, smirking down at James. James swallowed in anticipation, wondering what this question could be. Could there possibly be a worse question that wanting to know if he and Lily had even considered Karma Sutra?  
  
"Mr. Prongs, do you promise to love Lillian Paige Evans for all eternity? Even when you are both old, wrinkled and incompetent with false teeth, smelly chin hair and walking frames?" Sirius asked, smirking.  
  
James sighed and smiled warmly. This was the easiest.  
  
"Yes. Of course I do." He said. The ball turned the brightest shade of green it had the entire time and the crowd cheered not in amusement, but it congratulations. Remus smiled at Sirius and took the parchment off him.  
  
"Very well James. You've passed." Sirius said happily. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Can I take my hand off this thing now?" he asked, indicating to the ball with his head. Sirius chuckled and nodded. James sighed with relief and slowly lifted his hand off the ball, the warm feeling leaving his body.  
  
The party went back to normal as James got out of his seat, stretched and fell back down into it again. He laughed dopily as Sirius pulled up a chair beside him.  
  
"I think I've had a few to many drinkies." He said, smirking at his best friend. Sirius chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I think you have too. You want sobering?" he asked, fingering his wand. James slapped his hand away and shook his head.  
  
"No fucking way Padfoot. You keep your wand in your pants." He said. Sirius chuckled and hid his wand in his pocket.  
  
"Dirty stag." He muttered so only James could hear. James laughed and sank down into his chair.  
  
"Mr. Moony!" he called. Remus, who had been talking to Arthur Weasley, turned to James and smiled.  
  
"What?" he called back.  
  
"Another round!" James yelled, brandishing his empty glass. Remus chuckled, patted Arthur on the back and stumbled over to James.  
  
"No problem good sir." Remus said, his voice rather slurred. Sirius stood aside and watched with great amusement as a drunk Remus Lupin helped an equally drunk James Potter out of his seat and off to the bar.  
  
"You going to let them feel this in the morning?" Andrew said, walking up to Sirius.  
  
"You think I should?" Sirius asked, smirking. Andrew chuckled and took a sop of his coke.  
  
"It would teach them a lesson." He said. Sirius chuckled and shook his head. He watched as James and Remus toasted to something, downed their shot and slammed their glasses back on the table.  
  
"No. I wouldn't do that to him." He said. Andrew smiled as he watched Sirius admire his best friend.  
  
"Well I'm off to talk to Arthur. The man gets a little too excited when I start talking about lawn mowers." He said. Sirius chuckled as Andrew walked off.  
  
Sirius stood there alone for a few moments, taking in his surroundings. James seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, and that was exactly what Sirius had hoped for. He didn't want to make a big deal out of James's last few nights as a bachelor, as he knew that the fact that marrying Lily was not a saddening one, as it was for quite a few men. All Sirius wanted James to do was relax and have fun.  
  
"Padfoot, get over here!" James called, leaning against Peter. Sirius smiled, shook his head in defeat and walked over.  
  
"Alright, apparate safely!" Sirius called as Arthur Weasley stumbled onto the pavement with two of the boys, one leaning against him. Arthur nodded, adjusted one of the boy's arms around his shoulders and they walked off into the night.  
  
Sirius sighed, shut the door leant his back against it. He sighed and looked at his three best friends, spread out the room. Remus was sitting in James's throne, his legs spread out in front of him, Peter was sleeping on top of the bar, hugging an empty bottle of Butterbeer and James had somehow ended up in one of the dancer's cages and was now sitting in it, swinging backwards and forwards signing what sounded like 'Mary had a little lamb'.  
  
Sirius pushed himself off the door and walked tiredly over to James. He sat down with a grunt on a seat next to him and closed his eyes, the smell of alcohol hitting him hard.  
  
"Padfoot?" James said happily.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I love you." James said, swinging his legs. Sirius smiled, but did not open his eyes.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you've said that to everyone." He said. James giggled in a rather girly fashion and sighed dramatically.  
  
"I have, But I mean it this time." He said. Sirius chuckled and stretched his legs out.  
  
"I'm sure you've said that too." He muttered. James began whistling the tune to the Sound of Music as Sirius opened his eyes and reluctantly stood up. "Right. You ready for bed?" he asked, yawning. It was well past 4 in the morning and everyone had finally departed, including the dancers and waitresses on skates.  
  
James rubbed his eyes and yawned.  
  
"No." he said. Sirius chuckled and held his hand out to James. He took it and let Sirius help him up. James swayed slightly as he stood up and put a hand against his forehead.  
  
"The room's spinning Sirius. Did you charm it to do that?" he asked, staggering over to Peter. Sirius smiled and stayed close to James, ready to catch him.  
  
"No, its just you." He said soothingly. James groaned and slowly made his way over to Peter. He reached him and whacked him hard in the shoulder.  
  
"Get up Wormtail!" he called loudly. Peter grunted, muttered something incoherently and continued to sleep. James frowned and sat down on a stool.  
  
"James, you need sobering so I'm just going to...'  
  
"Do you think she loves me?" James asked, cutting Sirius off as he pulled his wand out. Sirius looked at James and smiled.  
  
"Of course she does. She wouldn't be marrying you if she didn't." he said, patting James on the arm. James smiled and nodded, this reassuring from his best friend obviously putting his mind to rest. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
  
"Ok Mr. Padfoot. Charm me." He said, smirking. Sirius chuckled, pointed his wand at James and performed the Sobering Charm.  
  
James screwed up his face for a moment, and then it faded. He opened his eyes and looked around in fussy eyes. He pressed a hand against his forehead and groaned slightly.  
  
"Oh man. That's a pretty big let down." He said, smirking. Sirius smiled and helped James stand up as the after effects of the alcohol wore off. A few seconds later, James was right to be independent.  
  
"Come on. Lets help Remus and Peter." Sirius said, pointing to Remus behind them. James looked over Sirius shoulder to see Remus fast asleep, his head rolled back against the back of the chair and his mouth wide open. James chuckled and got his wand out.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for a great night Sirius." He said, smiling warmly at his Best man. Sirius rubbed James's shoulder and smiled.  
  
"No problem." He said casually. James smiled and went to walk over to Remus...when he stopped abruptly and looked at Sirius in shock.  
  
"Was I just singing 'Mary had a little lamb'?"  
  
A/N – Ok, I'm saying my apologies now if that seemed very unrealistic. But I have no idea how stag nights are run! Hehe. Sorry about the length too, but oh well!  
  
Please review! 


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25! Ok, here's the female version of the night's events! Again, I apologize if this is unrealistic, but I've never been to a Hen's night either!

Lily ran excitedly to the front door as the doorbell rang through the house for the 5th time that minute. She pulled it open and smiled broadly.  
  
"Mum! Fantastic. What took you so bloody long?" she asked, pulling her mother into the house and closing the door behind her. Rose chuckled and hugged her daughter.  
  
"I was at Petunia's, trying to convince her to come." She said. Lily pulled back and looked apprehensively at her mother.  
  
"And?"  
  
"Well, do you see her?" she asked. Lily sighed and smiled.  
  
"That's alright. I didn't think she would want to anyway." She said. Rose smiled and kissed her daughters cheek.  
  
"Aunt Rose! Smashing!" Kim said, running into the entrance hall. Rose grunted as Kim threw her arms around her.  
  
"Kim, you only saw me this afternoon." She chuckled. Kim shrugged, let go of Rose and smiled. "Here, take my coat." Rose said, taking off her jacket. Kim laughed as she threw it onto Kim head, covering her face. Lily chuckled, grabbed her mother's hand and led her into the living room.  
  
Already, there was a large group of women there, but not too large. Lily's Hen's night was only to be a small affair.  
  
"Ladies, shush." She said. The women stopped their chattering and looked at Lily. "Everyone, this is my mother Rose Evans. Mum, this is everyone." Lily said, pushing her mother forward. Rose smiled as everyone called out their greetings, and made her way over to Trinity, who was sitting with Molly Weasley.  
  
"Hey, I think that's everyone." Allison said, coming up behind Lily and wrapping her arms around her waist. Lily smiled and leant back against Allison.  
  
"Yep. Lets get this party started." She said. Allison laughed, kissed Lily on the cheek and let go of her.  
  
"Right, girls can you shut the hell up for a second?" Allison chuckled. The small group of women shut up abruptly and looked at Allison expectantly. "Good, now... oh honestly Mrs. Potter, that's the Virgin chair, and you have no right to be in it!" Allison chuckled, pointing at Bethany who was sitting in Lily's favorite armchair. Bethany chuckled and got up out of it.  
  
"Hey, how was I supposed to know?" she said defensively. Allison rolled her eyes and pointed to the words on the back of the chair. They were large, golden letters spelling out 'Queen Lily's Virgin Chair'. Bethany chuckled, shrugged and sat down on the floor.  
  
"Right Evans, sit you cute ass down." Trinity said, patting the back of the chair. Lily chuckled at the women's cheering, but did as she was told. Allison smiled in satisfaction and went on.  
  
"Now, as I was saying...we are here to celebrate Lily's decision to marry a man she once called...now how did it go? Oh yeah, Big headed, egotistical prat." She said. Lily snorted and put her head in her hands as the party all laughed.  
  
"Well, anyway, Trinity and I..." Allison trailed off, looking expectantly at Trinity. She gave Allison a confused look for a second, before realization dawned on her face.  
  
"Oh, right." She said, getting up. Allison rolled her eyes as Trinity ran to her side and smiled broadly.  
  
"Yes, Trinity and I analyzed the situation carefully. Now, we know strippers were out of the question...and getting pissed off our faces was also not really an option, however if you want to there's a large keg outside in the...'  
  
"Allison!" Lily said, cutting Allison off. Lily chucked as Trinity bumped Allison aside with her hip.  
  
"So, we figured this night should be all about Lily, and her unfortunate fate in finding such a man to marry." Trinity said, keeping her face straight. Lily snorted as the women all laughed and applauded.  
  
"Right, so Lily, sit tight and let us indulge you with all things wonderful." Allison said, smiling warmly at her best friend.  
  
"And sensual." Trinity added. Allison looked at Trinity.  
  
"You just had to say it didn't you?" she asked, smirking. Trinity shrugged as Rose stepped forward.  
  
"Right, well as the mother of the bride, I have something to say." She said. "Lily, I haven't told you this yet as I didn't think I would have to, but I think I should say it anyway." She said. Lily quirked an eyebrow as her mother bent down in front of her, taking her hands.  
  
"No matter what happens, I just want you to know that your father and I support you 100%. Just like we always have." She said, squeezing Lily's hand. Lily smiled and kissed her mother's hands.  
  
"Thanks mum." She said.  
  
Allison sighed and looked at her watch.  
  
"Jesus, we've only been here for 20 minutes and already were into the deep and meaningful's." She said to Trinity. Rose smirked and hit Allison in the shin behind her.  
  
"Shut-up you." Rose said, smiling at Allison as she stood up. Allison chuckled and clapped her hands together.  
  
"Right ladies, first things first. Alcohol!" she said happily. The women all cheered and got up out of their seats, ready to follow Allison into the kitchen. Lily smiled and took Allison's hand that she had held out for her.  
  
"You're trying to get them pissed already?" Lily muttered. Allison chuckled and slipped her arm through Lily's.  
  
"Just trying to add some spice to the old girl's lives." She said simply. Lily laughed and let herself be led off to the temporary bar. Allison and Trinity it seemed, had planned a sort of disco theme for the night. They had hired a large stereo and were by no means afraid of giving the volume a workout. Lily was rather enthusiastic when it came to music, and Allison knew this. She had gotten her hands on all Lily's favorite music. The Beatles, the Grease Soundtrack and Lily's favorite dance man...Michael Jackson.  
  
"Oh Lily, I still cant believe your getting married!" Lily's Aunt Joanne said, rubbing Lily's forearm.  
  
"And I still cant believe people are still saying that to me." She said, taking a sip of her martini. Joanne chuckled as Kim ran up to her.  
  
"Mum, can I please just have a sip of...'  
  
"No! Kim, how many times must I tell you?" Joanne said, looking irritably at her daughter. Kim frowned and looked at Lily.  
  
"Lils, can't you work some of your mojo on her?" she asked, jerking her thumb at her mother beside her Lily snorted into her drink.  
  
"Kim, you're only 17." Joanne said. Lily looked at Kim's face. She looked like she was about to throw a major fit. Joanne was rather strict on under- age drinking, and Lily knew she would be rather horrified if she ever found out that Kim had been drinking Butterbeer for the past few weeks.  
  
"Kim, come here." Lily said. She smiled at her aunt and led Kim out of the room and into the kitchen.  
  
"Horrible old woman." Kim muttered irritably. Lily chuckled and opened the refrigerator.  
  
"Don't worry, I was prepared for you." She said. Kim raised an eyebrow as Lily reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle. Kim frowned as Lily handed it happily to her.  
  
"Coke? You're giving me coke? Lily, you're meant to be sneaking me alcohol." She said, as if coke were the biggest letdown since being given clothes at Christmas. Lily smiled and kicked the fridge door shut.  
  
"Taste it." She said. Kim gave Lily a doubtful look, but did as she was told. Lily smiled as Kim's eyes widened in amazement.  
  
"Lily, this is...'  
  
'...Butterbeer. Yes, it's got a Disillusionment charm on it. So, you can drink it all you want and your mum will think you're just getting high off caffeine." Lily said softly, smirking at her cousin. Kim laughed and hugged Lily.  
  
"You're the best Lily." She said happily. Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"Yeah, I know." She said, smirking. Kim snorted, kissed Lily on the cheek and walked over to Trinity.  
  
"So, having fun?" Rose asked, wrapping her arm around Lily's shoulders. Lily sighed and looked around. Molly Weasley was trying to sing along to 'Grease Lightning' with Allison, Bethany was sitting with a group of women Lily knew as her old dorm mates from Hogwarts and appeared to be talking about James, as she was making broom actions with her hands, and Trinity, Kim and Joanne were all looking at a photo album that Lily had a very bad suspicion held all her baby photo's.  
  
"Mum, fun is definitely a possibility. I do feel dreadful though, depriving all these girls of strippers and the like." She said, smirking. Rose chuckled and hit her daughter playfully in the arm.  
  
"Dear, you're like me. There's only one man who can ever get a reaction out of me when he strips." She said, looking dreamily off into the distance.  
  
"Mum!" Lily laughed, screwing up her face in distaste. Rose chuckled and walked off as Allison ran over, looking very amused about something.  
  
"Come on girly. Back in your chair." She said, pushing Lily backwards. Lily groaned as Allison sat her down and turned the music off. "Right, everyone in the living room!" she called. Slowly, all the women made their way back into the living room and positioned themselves down around Lily's chair.  
  
"Right, now this is the part were we get to reminisce about Lily's humble past. But not just any old memories, oh no...no, to qualify for your time in story telling, it must be one of the most embarrassing things you can remember her doing." Allison said, smirking cheekily down at Lily.  
  
"Ooooo, let me start!" Rose called, jumping off the floor. Lily felt herself going red already as her mother ran excitedly to Allison's side. Anything her mother had to say couldn't possibly be good.  
  
"Right, well my story stars when Lily was 7, and she and I were out shopping. So, we were walking along the isles, chatting away and suddenly Lily tripped over a clothes stand and fell plat on her face, her lovely hair going everywhere...as well as giving off a nice view of what was under her skirt." Rose said, chuckling at the memory. Everyone laughed as Lily covered her face.  
  
"But what made it worse, was that a group of her school friends were standing there, and most of them were boys. Hint hint." Rose said, winking. Lily looked at her mother between her fingers and groaned. Allison laughed as Rose sat back down. Allison knew that Lily started out to be a rather clumsy girl, but as she grew she seemed to learn how to walk with air, grace and confidence.  
  
"Ok, I've got one." Allison said, rubbing her hands together. Lily smiled and looked up at Allison, as if daring her to say something horrible. She, like Lily's mother, knew a lot of embarrassing situations with Lily in them.  
  
"Ok, so it's our first day of classes at school, and Lily was stressing out big time. She shoveled down her breakfast and ran off before I could even tell her what our first classes were."  
  
"Oh, I remember this." Lily chuckled. Allison laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, so anyway it took me a good 15 minutes to find her. But there she was, taking notes off the board on the Charms classroom. But the problem was it was a 7th year class, and Lily hadn't even noticed until I had to practically dragged her out." Allison said, waving her arm around. Everyone laughed as Lily shook her head.  
  
"I still can't believe I didn't notice." She said, smiling. Allison chuckled and looked around.  
  
"Alright, next."  
  
Slowly, all the women got up and told their stories of Lily's most embarrassing moments. Some of them were quite embarrassing, while others were only minor, but received a heart laugh just the same.  
  
Finally, they all finished, Allison turned the stereo back on and the party continued. A few more minutes later, and the doorbell rang.  
  
"That's the pizza boy!" Kim said, getting of Lily's lap and running towards the door.  
  
"Let him in if he's cute!" Trinity called. Lily chuckled as Molly Weasley joined Kim at the door.  
  
"Lily, here. I have to show you this." Said Sarah Donaldson, one of Lily's old dorm mates. Lily nodded as Sarah sat a book down on Lily's lap. "You remember this?" she asked. Lily picked it up and examined it. It was a book the size of an exercise book, and its pages were sticking out bulkily, as they obviously held a lot of writing. It took her a few moments, before her eyes widened in realization.  
  
"Our Promise book!" She squealed, squirming in her seat. Sarah laughed as Allison and Josie Reynolds, their other old roommate ran over, looking excited.  
  
"Where did you get that?" Allison asked, looking in awe at the book. Sarah chuckled.  
  
"I kind of...took it home. I didn't think you girls would mind." She said, shrugging. Josie chuckled and flicked Sarah in the ear.  
  
"No way. I can't believe you kept it." She said, looking down as Lily opened the book, turned to a random page and began reading.  
  
The Promise book was a shared diary the girls had stared in their third year. As it was that time of their lives where they were all changing, they decided to keep a book where they could all write their thoughts down in. They had lost interest in it towards the end of their 6th year however. No- one ever knew of its existence except for the four of them, and no-one else had been allowed to read it until now.  
  
"What's it say?" Josie probed. Lily smiled and cleared her throat.  
  
"Its your entry Allison. February 7th, 1976. Today, guess who gave me the begeezers...again? That's right guys, it was that stupid Sirius Black." Lily said, chuckling. Sarah laughed, as Allison looked rather guilty. "Oh yeah, not only does he confront me in hallways, classes, and at meals, but now he waits for me outside the girls toilets! Its ridiculous!" Lily read out, trying not to laugh. Allison snorted and covered the page with her hand.  
  
"Stop that. Read something of yours." She said, looking at Lily.  
  
"Yeah, its your party after all." Sarah said, sitting down on the floor. Lily sighed, drew her legs up under her and began flipping pages.  
  
"Ok, let's find something more recent." She said. She continued to skip pages, until finally she stopped.  
  
"Alright, here we are. September 18th 1977. Well, guess what? Yep, Potter and his...goonies are at it again. Can you believe what they did? The whole schools talking about it, how Snape was nearly killed. And the first words out of his mouth... 'It was the Marauders.' Honestly, you'd think someone nearly getting killed would snap some sense into their empty heads, even if it was only Snape." Lily chuckled. Allison laughed and tapped Lily on the foot.  
  
By now, most of the women had realized something was going on and had gathered around to listen.  
  
"Speaking of Potter, have I expressed in the past 20 seconds how much I loathe that...that...oh, it's too inappropriate." Lily snorted, smiling as she read over her 16 year old thoughts. It seemed so surreal that this was only 2 years ago. "Honestly, the girl who marries that git deserves a medal. I mean, imagine marrying that prat? I can just see it now. There he'll be, sitting on his throne making everyone wait on him hand and foot. I tell you, I know where I'd like to stick _my_ foot..." Lily laughed. Lily's mother made her way to the back of Lily's chair as Lily flipped a few pages forward to her next entry.  
  
"Ok, next. 0ctober 31, 1977. Ok, I don't want to sound like a winger...but oh my lord. Potter is just so...urgh. I don't know why he infuriates me so much. And he knows it. I _know_ he knows it! I swear, if he hits on me again I'm going to kick him so hard he wont be able to reproduce!" Lily looked down in horror at her statement. "Goodness, thank heavens _that_ never happened." She muttered.  
  
"Gee, I get the impression you and James were such good friends." Molly Weasley chuckled. Lily smiled and turned the page again.  
  
"Oh, you've got to be kidding. It was always Stupid Idiot Potter this, and nit-wit that..." Allison said.  
  
"Here, listen. 'Yesterday, I overheard Sarah and Kelly Hoskins from Hufflepuff talking about how hot they thought Potter was. I mean, hot headed yes, but good looking? I mean, in danger of sounding like a 6 year old, but EW! I mean, what is there about him? Well, yes he does have kind of a nice smile, his eyes a sweet chocolate brown you can get lost in and his body is...well it's definitely satisfactory. But even his hair! I mean, the boy needs to look into investing in a comb or something. And he thinks making it messier is supposed to make me swoon? I highly doubt it guys'." Lily finished and chuckled.  
  
"But, don't you like his hair messy?" Kim asked, looking at Lily with curiosity. Lily smiled, nodded and continued.  
  
"Maybe, if he weren't such a pig I might..._might_ consider accepting him. But huh...the day that happens, I will stand up on the table and sing 'Mary had a little lamb' in front of the entire school." Lily said, giggling.  
  
"Oh my god, so _that's_ why you did that!" Allison said, looking at Lily with a new light. Lily chuckled and closed the book.  
  
"I am a girl of my word." She said proudly. Trinity chuckled and put her hand on Lily's shoulder.  
  
"Can you do something like that at the next staff meeting then?" "Thanks for coming!" Lily called from her chair. Molly Weasley smiled, waved and walked out the front door. Allison shut it behind her and leant against her.  
  
"Oh! Let not do _that_ again soon." She said, closing her eyes. Lily chuckled, got out of her chair for the first time in an hour and lay down on the couch with a grunt.  
  
"Why not? I had fun. Did you have fun Trinity?" Kim asked, walking into the room drinking her 'coke'.  
  
"Yeah. I did actually. Lily, get married again in say...another two years." Trinity said, doing sit-ups on the floor. Lily laughed and laid the back of her hand over her eyes.  
  
"No problems girls." She said tiredly. Allison looked down at her in horror.  
  
"Excuse me woman? But lets not forget who organized this in the first place." She said, lying down on Lily's stomach. Lily chuckled and wrapped her arms around Allison.  
  
"Yes, I know. Thanks so much by the way. All of you." She said, shifting her head around.  
  
"Ah, think nothing of it. We just expect the same treatment when we get married." Trinity said airily. Lily chuckled and Allison hugged Lily tighter.  
  
"It was ok though wasn't it? I mean, I knew you wouldn't want strippers and pissed-up women and stuff like that." Allison said, lifting her head from Lily's chest and looking at her with uncertainty. Lily smiled, kissed the tips of her fingers and pressed it to the tip of Allison's nose.  
  
"It was just what I wanted. I nice night in with the girls." She said, smiling. Allison smiled back and rested her head back on Lily's chest.  
  
"Well, I'm off to bed. I'm going to need an early night to keep up with you in the morning." Trinity said, getting up off the floor and stretching. Kim smiled and stood up also.  
  
"Yeah, same. You two coming?" she asked. Allison and Lily both shook their heads. "Alright then. Night you guys." Kim said.  
  
"Night." Lily and Allison called as Kim and Trinity left the room and walked heavily up the stairs.  
  
After a few moments silence, Allison looked up at Lily again.  
  
"Can you believe we actually said all that stuff?" she chuckled. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I can. Oh, I hated him so much." She said, smirking. Allison chuckled and got off Lily.  
  
"Well, if someone had said to you two years ago that you would be marrying James Potter, what would you have said to them?" she asked.  
  
"Go book yourself into St. Mungo's, cause you definitely have brain issues." Lily said. Allison chuckled at her best friends wit.  
  
"When did you know?" she asked. Lily looked at her.  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"That you loved him."  
  
Lily thought for a moment, before she smiled.  
  
"Its really not that romantic." She said.  
  
"Oh come on! Tell me, I won't laugh." Allison said. Lily smiled at her best friends eagerness and shifted slightly.  
  
"Alright. You remember our first Halloween feast as a couple?" she asked. Allison nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I do.  
  
"Yeah, well I chanced a look around the Great hall and my attention suddenly seemed to shift to the illustrious James Potter. I remember it as clear as day. His hair was all sticking up weirdly from the gel Sirius had put in it. His tie was hanging loosely from around his neck and the buttons on his shirt were all done up in the wrong loop-holes." She said, closing her eyes.  
  
"He had a smear of chocolate up his left cheek and...I think I was a bit of cake icing suck on the tip of his nose. He was feeding himself chocolate to the point of being sick...and that's when I knew." She said dreamily.  
  
Allison looked at her stunned for a moment, before she slowly came out of her daze.  
  
"Ok, let me get this straight. You knew you were in love with James...when he had food all over his face and looked like he just got out of bed?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Yep." She said happily. Allison chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"You two really are unique, you know that?" she said, getting up. Lily smiled warmly up at her best friend and nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah. And that's the best bit." She said.  
  
"What is?" Allison asked. Lily smiled dreamily again and shut her eyes.  
  
"Knowing he's all mine." A/N – Well, firstly I apologize for taking forever to get this posted, but I had a ton of homework, not to mention the worst case of writers block I have EVER had.  
  
I hope it was up to standard. And by the way, for all those who don't know, Bangers and Mash is basically sausages and mashed potato.  
  
Please review! 


	26. Chapter 26

Hey guys, chapter 26! Hopefully you guys aren't too impatient. I'm really trying to keep on track!  
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"Oh I'm getting married in the morning...ding dong the bells are gonna chime..." James sang loudly, water running over his face. James had just been for an afternoon run and now was washing off all his troubles.  
  
It seemed that there was nothing like a good, long run and then a nice warm shower afterwoods. James hummed and began rubbing shampoo in his hair. He had not stopped smiling for the entire day to the extent where Sirius was staring to wonder if James was on some sort of drugs.  
  
But James hardly cared, as he knew what tomorrow was. It was the day. _Their_ day. As James rinsed off the shampoo, he couldn't help but chuckle a little. How long had he waited for this day? How many times had he watched Lily in class and imagined what she would look like, making her way down the isle to him? Countless times.  
  
"Hey Prongs? Can you hurry up in there please?" Came Remus voice.  
  
"Yeah, I'm almost done." James said, now rubbing himself down with soap.  
  
His thoughts swung back to Lily, as they so often did. Was it healthy to think about her so much? Hell, he didn't care. Since when did anything he did apply to the rules?  
  
James quickly rinsed himself off, finished with conditioner and slipped out of the shower minutes later. He grabbed the nearest towel, wrapped it around his waist and padded out into the hall.  
  
"Finally. I may be a supernatural being, but that does not apply to my bladder!" Remus said, running past him and into the bathroom. James laughed as Remus slammed the door shut, and walked down the hall to Sirius's room, where all his clothes were stored.  
  
James reached into his suitcase, grabbed his clothes out and began drying himself. He hummed a tune as he went over the final details of tomorrow. It's stared at 4:30...the reception not long after that...then they would go on their honeymoon to...  
  
"Cute little butt you got there." Sirius said, walking into the room with a duffel bag. James snorted and pulled his boxer shorts on. James and Sirius were not embarrassed about being naked in front of each other at all.  
  
"Glad you think so Padfoot. What's the bag for?" he asked. Sirius smiled, dumped the bag on his bed and unzipped it.  
  
"Its to smuggle out all your wedding gifts. I'm not going home empty handed you know." He said, bobbing down beside his bed. James pulled his jeans on and zipped up his fly as he watched Sirius retrieve things from underneath the bed. He stacked them next to the bag one by one. James smiled as he observed the items.  
  
There were boxes of 'Bundlemere's everlasting bubbles', 'Wet-start fireworks' and other things.  
  
"Er, Sirius...I hope that's not for the wedding." James said, pulling his shirt on. Sirius smiled and stood up.  
  
"No, its for the reception." He said, putting his hands on his hips. James rolled his eyes and put his glasses on.  
  
"There is the case of muggles!" James said, walking over to the bag and picking up a stray fire-work. Sirius snatched it off him and chuckled it in the bag.  
  
"Muggles don't have fireworks and bubbles?" he asked. James opened his mouth to retort, but shut it instantly and smiled.  
  
"Good point." He said. Sirius chuckled and continued packing things in the bag. James groaned tiredly and flopped down on the bed next to Sirius's bag.  
  
"Feeling a bit impatient old boy?" Sirius asked in an impression of Sigmund Freud. James chuckled.  
  
"Yes, you could say that." He said.  
  
"Vell, tell ze doctor all aboot your troubles, and ve shall see if ve cannot fix ze problem." He said. James sighed and scratched his stomach.  
  
"I wanna marry her now! I wanna go on our honeymoon and...' he trailed off, blushing. Sirius smiled down at his friend and deposited the last item in the bag.  
  
"Ahhh, I see ze problem. Zexuall frustrations, no?" he asked. James snorted and smiled.  
  
"No...yeah...oh I don't know." He said, feeling rather embarrassed. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to finally...well you know." He muttered.  
  
"Yes, I know. But, rest assured that she vill be absolutely co-operative when ze times comes. Zere is no doubt about zat young master Schames." Sirius said, zipping up the bag. James sat up and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, its only one more day." He said dreamily. Sirius chuckled, pulled James off the bed and put his arm around his shoulders.  
  
"And zen you may shag 'er until you both collapse wiz the pleasure of it." He said, leading James into the living room.  
  
"Ok, that enough Sirius!"

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"Oh mum! You got my dress!" Lily said, jumping off the floor. Rose smiled and handed her daughter the dress, which was hidden behind a protective jacket supplied by the dry cleaners. Lily went to take it off her, before...  
  
"Oh here, I'll get it. You finish organizing." Allison said, taking it of Lily. Lily smiled in thanks and pulled her mother over to the floor.  
  
Lily was sitting with Trinity, going over work that they needed to be done, so she would not have such a hefty workload when she came back from her Honeymoon. Lily wanted to devote herself completely to her new husband, without worrying about work and how Trinity was handling it alone.  
  
"Good heavens, is this all yours?" Rose said, getting down on the floor. Lily smiled and Trinity picked up another piece of parchment.  
  
"It looks like there's more than there actually is." Trinity said, squinting at the page. Lily frowned at her actions.  
  
"You've been doing that a lot lately. You should get your eyes checked." Lily said, picking up another piece of work.  
  
"Nah, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired." Trinity said, rubbing her eyes. Lily smiled wearily at her friend, before going back to her work.  
  
"Sweetheart, it's the day before your wedding. Surely you have something better to do." Rose said, playing with Lily's spare quill. Lily shook her head.  
  
"Actually, funnily enough I don't." she chuckled, turning the page over. Rose smiled as Alison came back into the room. She sat down on the floor, stretched her legs out on Lily's lap and reclines back into the palms of her hands.  
  
"Well personally, I think we should all go out to a disco. We haven't been dancing for ages." She said, looking at Lily with disappointment. Lily chuckled.  
  
"If you want to go, you are quite welcome to do so." Lily said, picking up another piece of paper.  
  
"But I want you there!" Allison said, pouting. Lily smiled and looked at her.  
  
"Look, we have to be up early in the morning. And if I go out with you, I wont want to come home until all hours of the bloody morning." She chuckled, patting Allison's knee.  
  
"But...the wedding's not until 4:30 in the afternoon!" Trinity said, looking shocked at Lily. "If you wanna go, you can go. I'll do all this." She said.  
  
Lily considered her two bridesmaids in turn for a moment, before she sighed and shook her head.  
  
"No, its ok. I'll stay." She said. Allison looked like she wanted very much to protest to this statement, but she kept quiet and got her wand out.  
  
"Accio Butterbeers!" she called, pointing her wand towards the kitchen. There was a few seconds delay, before 4 bottles of Butterbeer came zooming into the kitchen. Lily caught two skillfully, while Trinity looked up and caught the others just in time.  
  
"Here you are mother." Lily said, happily handing Rose a bottle. Rose took it off her, opened it and sighed dramatically.  
  
"Oh, now _this_ I envy. You witches have this so easy." She said, taking a sip. Allison smiled and Trinity raised her bottle to Rose.  
  
"Cheers Mrs. Evans." She said. Rose smiled and the four women all toasted together.  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Later that night (after Kim had finally come home from god knows where), the 5 women all sat down at the large dining table to enjoy a meal cooked by Rose.  
  
"Mum, you really didn't have to do this." Lily said. Rose chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"I know. But, I felt it a challenge to cook for 6 women." She said, taking a bite of her sausage. Lily and the others looked around in confusion for a second.  
  
"Mum, there's only 5 of us here." Allison said. Rose chuckled. Allison sometimes got into the habit of calling Rose 'Mum'.  
  
"No, there's 6. Honestly girls, cant you count?"  
  
The 4 girls spun around to see Bethany Potter, taking her jacket off and hanging it casually over the nearest stool. Lily choked out a laugh as she sat down and helped herself to the food.  
  
"Well, alright then." Kim said, taking a sip of her Butterbeer.  
  
"You know, I'm starting to worry about the two of you." Lily said, pointing at her and James's mother with the end of her fork. Bethany and Rose exchanged a knowing glance, before they both shrugged and went back to their meal.  
  
The meal went on for another good half an hour. Rose definitely hadn't held back when cooking the meal, and it still amazed Lily how her mother could manage such an effort without the aid of magic.  
  
Lily reached for her bottle, but stopped short as she felt a draft on her right. She turned in her seat to see where it had come from, but there was no window open or anything. Lily dismissed it and went back to her meal.  
  
But then she felt it again. Lily looked out of the corner of her eye to look, but again she saw nothing. Lily was feeling rather confused now. Did they have a ghost in their house?  
  
Lily jumped slightly as she felt something rub her knee. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but they hadn't. She looked down at her knee and saw a hand, floating in mid-air, rubbing her knee gently. She frowned until...  
  
"Just act normal." Came a deep, low whisper. Lily smirked as she recognized his voice. She put on an innocent face, reached for her fork and tuned back into he conversation.  
  
"So anyway, here she is crying and crying...I cant for the _life_ of me figure out why." Rose said. "Turns out there was a spider sitting next to her and she freaked out."  
  
Lily shivered involuntarily as she felt James's hand make its way higher up her leg.  
  
"Did you ever consider having more kids after Lily?" Bethany asked, looking warmly at Lily. Lily smiled hastily back and looked at her mother, trying to keep a straight face.  
  
"Well, we did. But it just never seemed to happen. Of course, two is sufficient enough." Rose said, pushing her peas around her plate.  
  
"Being an only child isn't so bad." Allison said, taking a sip of her drink. "You get all the attention, all the toys, a bedroom to yourself..."  
  
"Try having three older brothers! Its hell I tell you. Every guy you bring home, they scare off." Trinity said, sounding outraged. Kim chuckled.  
  
Lily's breathing increased as James ran his hand up her leg and around to her stomach. He also appeared to be blowing in her ear, but she couldn't figure out how, as the cloak covered him.  
  
"I'm in your arena Al. My mum obviously thought one was enough." Kim said. Rose chuckled.  
  
"Yes, when we were little you mum always said that one would definitely be..." Rose was cut off rudely by Lily's slight squeal. All eyes shifted to her, looking at her with suspicion.  
  
"Lils, you ok?" Trinity asked.  
  
"Yeah, you look a little flushed. You got a temperature?" Allison asked, pressing her hand to Lily's forehead.  
  
"Oh, er no. I'm fine. Just...just remembering something." She said, removing Allison's hand away. Lily was trying extremely hard to look innocent, but James's hand movements were making it very hard.  
  
The 5 women looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but Sirius, Remus and Peter apparating into the room saved Lily from their concerns.  
  
"Hey! What are you three doing here?" Allison asked, watching the guys as they looked suspiciously around the room.  
  
"Where is he?" Sirius asked, looking around. The women exchanged a confused glance.  
  
"Where's who?" Bethany asked.  
  
"James. We know he's here." Remus said, walking slowly around the table.  
  
Lily swallowed nervously as the boys slowly made their way over to her. She felt James's hand leave her hurriedly, leaving a cold spot on her leg.  
  
Sirius pulled his wand out and pointed it into the air.  
  
"Sirius, what on earth are you four..."  
  
"Accio Invisibility cloak!" Sirius called. As soon as he did so, the cloak zoomed into his hands, revealing James Potter crouching in the floor, only a few feet away from Lily.  
  
"James!" The women shouted, looking down at him shocker. James laughed, stood up and ran forward.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Remus laughed as he caught James around the middle. Peter and Sirius jumped forward and pushed James against the wall.  
  
"What are you three doing?" Lily yelled, although she looked very amused.  
  
"Don't you know the rule about not seeing the bride the night before the wedding?" Allison said, looking at James with accusing eyes...that also held humor. James struggled against his friends and shrugged.  
  
"Since when do I listen to rules? I just wanted to see Lily." He said, trying to shove Remus off him. Finally, they released him, leaving him looking like he just got out of bed.  
  
"Ok look, if you're that desperate, you two can have some time alone." Sirius said, running a hand through his hair. James smiled and Lily, who smiled warmly back at him. He walked forward, took her hand and led her up the stairs.  
  
"3 minutes!" Trinity called.  
  
James chuckled, ran down the hallway with Lily into their bedroom and shut the door behind them. James turned around to talk to lily, but before he could even open his mouth to speak, she pushed him up against the door and kissed him very deeply indeed.  
  
James moaned, closed his eyes and let his fiancé indulge his lips with hers. Finally, after a few seconds of pashing, the pair broke apart, breathing hard.  
  
"Wow. Where did _that_ come from?" James whispered. Lily chuckled and ran a finger along his jaw.  
  
"You think you can do something like that to me and not get me all hot?" she asked, kissing his neck. James chuckled, closed his eyes and let her suck on his neck.  
  
"I just wanted to relax you." He said innocently. Lily laughed against his neck, pulled back and looked up at him.  
  
"If that's the way you relax me, then I _really_ cant wait to see how you turn me on." She said huskily. James growled and kissed her again.  
  
This time, James seemed to be more confident. He knew he could stay in control. After all, they only had a few minutes, and who talks at times like these?  
  
"Are you excited about tomorrow?" James asked after a few more moments of kissing. Lily snorted and ran her hands along his chest.  
  
"Oh no, not at all James. In fact, why don't we postpone it for another month." She said sarcastically.  
  
"No! Jesus Lily!" he said, looking at her with wide eyes. Lily laughed and kissed him again.  
  
Lily finally seemed to have had enough of kissing him, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. James wrapped his arms around her and exhaled slowly. He smiled, realizing they were still leaning up against the door.  
  
"I love you James. So much." Lily whispered. James kissed the top of her head and breathed her in.  
  
"I love you too." He said. Lily kissed his chest and looked up at him, her emerald green eyes staring lovingly into his brown ones. She opened her mouth to say something else, when...  
  
BANG BANG. Lily and James jumped significantly.  
  
"OK, you've had your quickie. Time to get dressed and get out." Came Sirius's voice from the other side of the door. Lily and James chuckled, broke apart and opened the door. There was no-one there, so Lily grabbed his hand and led him back down the stairs.  
  
As they walked into the dining room, they saw Sirius and Allison feeding each other food, Kim and Peter were joking about something and Trinity, Remus, Bethany and Rose were having a good conversation.  
  
James cleared his throat and everyone looked up at the couple.  
  
"Ah good. Well, I'll see you tomorrow ladies. Come on Gentlemen, TO THE FORT!" Sirius said, raising his wand into the air.  
  
"TO THE FORT!" James, Remus and Peter echoed. Lily rolled her eyes as James kissed her quickly on the cheek and the four Marauders disapparated.  
  
There was a moment's silence, before Bethany sighed, walked forward and linked her arm with Lilly's.  
  
"Come on girly, on with the dishes."

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A/N – wow. That chapter was so much easier to write than the last one! Lol.  
  
Please review!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27! Ok, it's the moment we've all been waiting for! Well, sort of. Lol.

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Lily opened her eyes slowly, but squeezed them shut again as blinding rays of sun invaded her drowsy eyes. She rolled over and wrapped her arm around Allison's waist. Lily moaned happily, opened her eyes and found herself looking at Allison's cheek.  
  
Lily smiled cheekily as she kissed Allison's cheek. She felt in a very mushy, loving mood this morning...and she knew exactly why.  
  
Allison stirred, turned to Lily and opened her eyes.  
  
"Lillian, how wonderful to see you." Allison said, yawning. Lily chuckled threw back her covers and jumped out of bed. She threw open the door, bolted down the hall to Trinity's room and thumped hard on her closed door.  
  
"Get up! Its today!" she called happily. Without waiting for an answer, she ran another small distance, skidded to a halt in front of Kim's room and chuckled. Kim was once again half-hanging off the bed, her mouth wide open. Lily threw the nearest soft object at her cousin.  
  
"Wake up!" she said happily. Once again, Lily turned on her heel, headed for the staircase and ran down them. She paused half-way, sat up on the railing and slid the rest of the way down. She landed skillfully on the floor, ran into the living room...and suddenly found herself with nothing to do. Lily let her arms flop at her side and looked around in disappointment.  
  
"Yeah, I wondered how far you would get." Allison said, walking into the living room. Lily spun around and laughed.  
  
"Oh well. Come on, breakfast!"  
  
---------  
  
"Sirius! Sirius, wake up!" James said, jumping on Sirius.  
  
"Urgh, Prongs bugger off!" Sirius said, rolling over. James sighed impatiently and continued to shove Sirius.  
  
"Wake up! I can't find my shoes!" he said, slightly hysterically. Sirius rolled back over, rubbed his eyes and looked up at James. He smiled, trying desperately not to laugh. James looked like he was ready to have a nervous breakdown. His hair was sticking up very unusually and his eyes were wide and full of panic.  
  
"Prongs, its eleven o'clock in the morning. We've got all day to worry about your shoes." Sirius said drowsily. James frowned down at his best friend.  
  
"Are you insane? This all has to be perfect! What if by the time we finally _do_ start looking for my shoes, it takes us an hour to find them? And then we'll be late for the wedding and then...'  
  
"James, you're a wizard. Just bloody-well summon them." Sirius yawned. James sighed, considered this information for a second and relaxed.  
  
"You're right." He said.  
  
"Of course I am." Sirius mumbled into his pillow.  
  
"I should just go back to bed."  
  
"Yeah, you should."  
  
"Ok.' James said, hesitating for a moment before standing up. "Ok, I'll see you later." He said. Sirius smirked as James walked out of the room in a daze.  
  
After a few seconds of trying to get back to sleep, James stuck his head back into the room.  
  
"Sirius? He muttered bashfully.  
  
"Alright! Alright, I'm up!"  
  
------------------------- 

After a few hours of Lily running around like an excited 3 year old, she had finally settled down enough for her make up and hair to be done. It was now just after lunch, and the girl's still were not dressed yet.  
  
"Ok, Lily prepare for me to make you up." Rose said, putting her briefcase down on the bench. Lily smiled as her mother opened up her case and began pulling out assorted cosmetics. Lily's mother was a beautician, and she along with a few girls from her work, would be doing the make-up for Lily and her bridesmaids.  
  
"Aunt Rose, isn't it a tad early to be doing this?" Kim asked, sitting herself down on a stool next to Trinity. Rose simply smiled.  
  
"Ah Kim, your nativity is amusing. Beauty is an art form, and cannot be rushed." She said, examining two kinds of lipstick. Kim sighed and tied her hair back out of her face.  
  
One of the girls that Rose had brought along seemed very enthusiastic. She grabbed up a stick of eyeliner and made for Trinity, who had just sat herself down. Trinity's head snapped back quickly as the girl attempted to apply the eyeliner.  
  
"Whoa there girly. Hold on just a goddam second." Trinity said, slapping the girl's hands away. Rose chuckled at the girl's hurt expression.  
  
"Kate, not so fast. Sorry Trinity, she's rather new." Rose said. The girl Kate smiled apologetically at Trinity.  
  
"Oh, that's alright. I'm just not used to women attacking me with pencils." Trinity chuckled. Kate smiled and tried again, this time with more patience.  
  
"Mum, you know that my hair is...'  
  
"Yeah, being done by someone else. I know Lily." Rose said, matching up certain cosmetics to her daughter. Lily smiled, wrapped her dressing down around her tighter and relaxed. Lily was used to her mother doing all sorts of make-over things on her, and if truth be told, Lily really wasn't in a hurry to complain about it.  
  
Slowly but surely, the girl's faces became ones of color. Allison, like Lily, was utterly relaxed and seemed to have no problems with all the pampering she was receiving. Trinity however, continued to flinch every time Kate went near her.  
  
"Miss Marshal, is there something wrong?" Kate asked exasperated, taking away the lipstick from Trinity's mouth.  
  
"No, its just...I'm not used to all this." Trinity said bashfully.  
  
"Yeah, but you sure look great." Lily said, looking at Trinity out of the corner of her eye. Trinity chuckled and reluctantly closed her eyes, so Kate could continue dolling her up.  
  
"Lily, we should have done this for your hen's night." Kim said, pursing her lips out for lipstick to be applied. Lily smiled.  
  
"Excuse me, but if you have all these wonderful ideas, then why the bloody hell didn't you contribute?" Allison said, her eyes closed. Kim chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"You never asked me." She said. Lily smiled and sighed.  
  
"I wonder what James is doing now?" she asked dreamily, changing the subject. Trinity chuckled.  
  
"Probably relaxing, playing golf and the like."

--------------

"James, breathe!" Remus said, rubbing James's back. James was hyperventilating, and was breathing with a paper bag. Sirius smiled down at him. James was half naked, his hair still in disarray.  
  
"Honestly mate, I don't see what your getting so worked up about." Sirius said. James glared at him. Sirius was hitting golf-balls against the nearest wall that when on impact, exploded into a mini fireworks display.  
  
"It all...has to be...perfect." James said, taking the bag away long enough to talk. Peter grinned.  
  
"So, I guess we should cancel the food fight we've been planning for the reception?" he joked. James looked at him with panic.  
  
"He's joking James!" Remus said hurriedly, glaring at Peter. James relaxed slightly, breathing hard.  
  
Sirius hit his final ball against the wall, creating a CRACK. "Well then, go get dressed and see if that calms you down any."  
  
-----------------  
  
A while later, the girls were finished. They had not been made to look over the top, but it was a discreet beauty at Lily respected. Lily sighed, got off the stool and scratched her head.  
  
"Ok girls. Go get your dresses on so you can get your hair done." Rose said, packing her make-up away. Lily smiled, linked arms with Kim and walked up the stairs, Allison and Trinity close behind.  
  
"Oh Lily, how can you be so calm?" Allison asked. Lily chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"I don't know! Honestly, I thought I would be a nervous wreck this morning." She said.  
  
Kim opened the bedroom door and let Lily walk in first. "Yeah, I remember Jackie's wedding day." She chuckled. Lily laughed and took off her dressing gown.  
  
"Who's Jackie?" Trinity asked, walking to the bed and picking up her dress that was laid out on it.  
  
"Distant relative. She nearly collapsed with stress. Poor dear." Lily said, opening her wardrobe. She reached in, grabbed the jacket on the hanger that contained her dress and hung it on the corner of the wardrobe door.  
  
Lily unzipped the covering, pulled it off...and her mouth dropped open. There, hanging in front of her, was the dress. Not the replacement one she had settled for, but the other dress. Her dream dress.  
  
"What? Oh my...how..." Lily seemed incapable to form a complete sentence.  
  
"Oh come on. You didn't think we were going to let you walk down the isle in anything else now did you?"  
  
Lily turned her head to see Allison, Trinity, Kim and her mother all looking at her with admiration. Lily couldn't believe this was happening.  
  
"But...how? Where's my other dress?" she asked, turning back to it.  
  
"This _is_ your dress." Trinity said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"We all put in for it." Rose said, stepping forward. "Just, don't expect any other wedding gifts from us." She chuckled. Lily's eyes began to water as she ran her hand along the dress. Her long, slim fingers taking in every detail, as if making sure that it wasn't all just a dream.  
  
"You're...you're not saying anything." Allison whispered, uncertainty present in her voice. She, like the other three felt the tension. Was Lily mad at them for going behind her back?  
  
Lily sighed, blinked away tears and turned to the others. She ran forward and threw her arms around her mother.  
  
"Thank you so much." She whispered. Rose chuckled and hugged her daughter. Encouraged by the break in tension, the others stepped forward and created a group hug.  
  
They remained like that for a few seconds, before the broke apart and Rose sighed.  
  
"Oh Lily, your makeup!" she said, wiping Lily's eyes. Lily choked out a laugh and Allison rubbed her hands together.  
  
"Well, enough of that. Lily, get dressed!"  
  
----------------------  
  
"Moony, I can't...tie this...tie!" James said, struggling with his bow. Remus, who was pulling his jacket on, smiled and walked over to his best friend.  
  
"Here, let go." He said. James let his hands flop to his side as he let Remus do up his bow tie. Remus expertly finished James's tie with a flick and patted James's chest.  
  
"There. Done." He said, turning around and walking over to the mirror. James smiled and scratched his nose. He looked over at Remus. He looked very strapping in his suit. His hair however, was still all over the place and James knew that would be next on his agenda.  
  
"Hey. You found your shoes yet?" Peter asked, sticking his head in the door. James shook his head.  
  
"No! And we've only got...' he looked at his watch '...an hour and a half!" he said, his eyes wide. Peter chuckled and held up a pair of black, lace up shoes.  
  
"Oh Peter! I love you!" James said, running up to him. Peter chuckled and scratched his bare chest after handing the shoes to James.  
  
"Well, its kinda hard to miss them when their sitting in the bath." He shrugged. James, not even caring why his shoes were in the bath, sat down on the bed and pulled his socks on.  
  
"So, how are we feeling?" Sirius asked, walking into the room as Peter walked out.  
  
"How am I feeling?" James asked, pulling his shoes on. "Well let's see. I'm freaking out beyond all comprehension and...WHY THE HELL ARENT YOU DRESSED? James yelled in outrage. He had looked up to see Sirius standing in the doorway, still in his pajamas. Sirius smiled simply.  
  
"Prongs, we have nearly two hours. That's 120 minutes. It only takes me 3 minutes to get dressed. You do the math." He said. James growled and began tying his shoelaces.  
  
"Then why is Moony dressed?" he asked, waving a hand at Remus.  
  
"Cause Moony doesn't have the balls to take you on today." Sirius said, smirking. Remus smiled and placed a small Lily in his chest pocket.  
  
"Piss off Padfoot." He said, walking out of the room. Sirius shoved him with his shoulder as he walked past.  
  
"Sirius, can you _please_ get dressed?" James asked, getting up and pacing around the room. Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"If it will calm you down." He said defeated. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Thanks mate. The Lily's are in the fridge." He said, fixing his glasses on his nose. Sirius chuckled and pulled his shirt over his head.  
  
"Wow, you keep her in the fridge? I don't even _want_ to imagine how you defrost her."  
  
----------------  
  
"Lily, come _on_!" Allison said, bobbing up and down with excitement. Kim laughed as the Maid of Honor walked around impatiently. She looked like she had to go to the toilet very badly.  
  
"She's almost done. Hold on a bit longer." The hairdresser said, sitting her head out of the door. Trinity groaned and tried to look past her into the room, but she shut the door before Trinity got the chance.  
  
They were waiting out in the hallway for Lily to come out. They were already made up completely, and were not waiting impatiently for the Bride.  
  
"Urgh, cant she just perform some beauty spells or...'  
  
"Shh! Kim, be quiet." Allison said, looking around. The other muggle beauticians didn't seem to have noticed Kim's words.  
  
"Well, just a suggestion." She said, scratching her now bare neck.  
  
The bridesmaids were dressed in their lavender dresses and were looking fabulous. Their hair was up in a simple bun on the top of their heads with random tendrils coming down to frame their face.  
  
Finally, after another 5 minutes that seemed to take forever, the hairdresser came out.  
  
"Ladies and...well, ladies. May I present to you...The Bride." She said, stepping aside. They all smiled in anticipation for Lily to walk out, but as she did so, nothing could have prepared them for the sight.  
  
In many cases, Lily was not one for dressing up. She hardly wore any make up, not to mention a dress. Her hair was always seen in either a messy ponytail, or just loose. She was of course, a very pretty woman, but now the only word to describe her was...exquisite.  
  
Lily's hair was up like theirs, and it had a Lily stuck in the middle of the bun. She had a silver necklace around her neck, giving her neckline that little bit extra attention. The dress fit her as it were tailored specifically for her. Its previous exhibition of being on the hanger did it no justice, compared to how Lily wore it. They seemed to go together as well as winter and snow.  
  
Lily swung her arms nervously at her side, as she looked at her friend's stunned expressions.  
  
"Er, so...comments?" she muttered, letting her head drop a little. Allison looked at Lily in amazement.  
  
"Lily...my god..." she whispered.  
  
"Evans, can _I_ marry you?" Trinity said, putting a hand against her cheek. Lily smiled a dazzling smile and blushed slightly.  
  
"So, good?" she asked. Kim laughed and hit her forehead with her hand.  
  
"Lily, you can be so dumb sometimes." Allison said, walking forward. Lily chuckled and embraced her best friend.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Sirius did up the buttons of his jacket and watched from the couch as James paced in front of him, his finger in- between his teeth in worry.  
  
"What if I'm a bad husband?" he asked.  
  
"Get a divorce." Sirius said simply  
  
"What if I loose my job?"  
  
"You'll make a very pretty cobbler."  
  
"What if we're always fighting?  
  
"Invest in some ear plugs"  
  
"What if she falls in love with some else?  
  
"You're a wizard. Turn him into an ear-wig."  
  
"What if we have horrible, brattish kids?"  
  
"Two words: Boarding school."  
  
"What if I get killed in the field?"  
  
"Try not to."  
  
"What if I never amount to anything great?"  
  
"Too late."  
  
"But...what if I develop an erectile dysfunction?" James asked, looking horrified. Sirius stood up and grabbed James's shoulder, halting his pacing.  
  
"Kill yourself." He said simply.  
  
And without another word, left the room, leaving James to ponder his best friends advice.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Come on Lily, time to go." Rose said, pulling on her pink jacket. Lily looked around the living room frantically.  
  
"But, my earrings! I haven't got them. And...and my...'  
  
"Lily, get to the car!" We'll get them and apparate over. Allison said, opening the front door. By now, the entire house had cleared out, save for the Bride, bridesmaids and Rose. Lily sighed and put a hand to her head.  
  
"Oh, but..."  
  
"NO! Go!" Trinity laughed, pushing Lily towards the door. Lily laughed and nodded.  
  
"Ok, ok. Come on Kim." She said, Kim nodded, grabbed her bouquet and followed Rose and Lily out to the car. Allison shut the door behind her and sighed.  
  
"Can you believe this?" she muttered against the door. Trinity smiled, as she watched Allison's face. Her expression was one of happiness and disbelief. Trinity understood completely. It must be a bit of a head-spin to see your best friend of nearly 10 years get married, let alone to her ex- rival.  
  
Trinity chuckled and put a hand on Allison's shoulder. "Come on, let's find her freaking earrings and get out of here."  
  
-----------------------  
  
"My cufflinks. Peter, have you...'  
  
"Right here." Peter said, holding up two small objects.  
  
"Ok, Moony, have you got my...'  
  
"Here Prongs!" called Remus from the hallway. James sighed and looked at Sirius.  
  
"And you?" he asked. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Yeah? What?" he asked. James started hard at him.  
  
"The _rings_ Padfoot." He said. Sirius frowned in mock confusion.  
  
"What rings?" he asked, looking puzzled. James's eyes widened, obviously missing the joke.  
  
"What rings? What _rings_? Are you _INSANE_?" James asked, running up to him and pulling Sirius out of his seat. "Don't tell me you've lost them!" he said, shaking Sirius.  
  
"James, calm down! Their here!" Sirius said, prying James's arms off him. Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out two rings. He flashed them under James's nose. "See, its alright." He said, patting James on the arm.  
  
James deflated significantly and nodded.  
  
"Ok, I'm sorry." He said.  
  
Remus walked back into the room and smiled.  
  
"Come on Lads. Time to go."

* * *

A/N – Well, I apologize if this seemed a little rushed, but I think you've been waiting long enough!  
  
Please review! 


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28! The one we've all been waiting for! Hang on to yer helmets!

* * *

James stood in front of a full-length mirror, going over the finishing touches of his suit. He frowned at his hair, debating what to do with it. Should he even attempt to comb it? As he thought this, Lily's voice rang in his ears.  
  
'_I like your hair scruffy. It makes you stand out, just like deserve to_.'  
  
James smiled, raised his hand and ran it through his hair one final time, just like he used to. He sighed and turned slightly, making sure nothing was out of place. James ran his long fingers over the Lily sitting in his chest pocket, stroking it lightly. He smiled and closed his eyes.  
  
"James?"  
  
James opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see his parents standing in the doorway. He smiled.  
  
"Come in. I'm just...grooming." He said, turning back to the mirror. Bethany chuckled and walked into the room, her husband closing the door behind them. Bethany walked up to her son and ran her hand along his shoulder.  
  
"James, I know you want some time alone, but you father and I have something to say." She said. James turned around fully and looked at his parents.  
  
"Ok, I'm all ears." He said happily. Richard smiled and stood next to his wife.  
  
"James, ever since you were born, your mother and I have imagined how you would grow up. What kind of man you would grow to be and the like. And...' Richard looked down at his wife '...we have to tell you that we couldn't have wished for anything better." He said.  
  
James smiled warmly at his parents as his father's words warmed his soul. James sighed, stepped forward and embraced them into a three-person hug.  
  
"Thank you." He whispered. They remained like that for a few seconds, until James released them and looked down at his mother. "Mum, it hasn't even started and you're already crying." He chuckled. Bethany choked out a laugh and wiped a tear away from her eye.  
  
"Never mind about me. You just...continue getting ready." She said, stroking his chest in a motherly fashion. James smiled and nodded.  
  
His parents gave him one final look of admiration, before the turned and left James alone in the room.  
  
James stared into the empty space fondly for a moment, before sighing and turning to look out the window into the street, wondering where she was.  
  
-------------  
  
Lily looked out the window, watching the streets of London pass by in a blur. The sun was radiating warmly in the sky above, making the windows shine and people smile.  
  
"Hey. Thinking about a certain black-haired, brown eyed man?" Kim asked, tapping Lily on the knee. Lily tore her eyes away from the window and smiled at her cousin.  
  
"Well, I am now." She said. Rose chuckled and sniffed.  
  
Lily looked at her with concern for a moment, before shaking her head in amazement. "Mother, honestly. We aren't even at the church yet!" Lily chuckled. Rose smiled bashfully as Lily leant over and wiped a stray tear from her mother's cheek.  
  
"When you have children and are accompanying them to the church, you see how you last before you start leaking." She said, taking a tissue out of her handbag. Lily smiled and turned back to the window.  
  
"Obviously not very." Kim said. "So, everything in order?" she asked. Lily nodded, but continued to daydream.  
  
Lily's thoughts were now focused on her soon-to-be husband. Although she wasn't showing it at all externally, Lily was extremely excited. It seemed that she was so much so, that the only thing she could do was sit still and dwell in it.  
  
She smiled, thinking of him in his suit. She didn't think he quite knew how handsome he looked in that suit, and she was forever thanking the gods that he had picked it.  
  
She sighed, wondering what he would think of her in her dress. Would he be impressed? Surprised? Proud?  
  
"Lily, we're almost there." Rose said.  
  
Lily jumped out of her daze and felt a large wave of excitement hit her. She smiled brightly, showing off her dazzlingly white teeth.  
  
"Perfect."  
  
---------------------------  
  
James ran down the hallways, threw a door open and ran out into the hall. He jumped down two small steps and landed near the alter with a grace-like skill. He jogged over to his position, caught his breath and ran a hand through his hair again, making sure it was extra messy.  
  
Sirius made his way over, straightened his tie and cleared his throat.  
  
"How you feeling?" he asked, turning around and standing in position next to James. James sighed.  
  
"Scared shitless." He muttered. Sirius smiled and turned back to James.  
  
"I really don't understand why." He said. James frowned at his best friend as he straightened James's tie.  
  
"Are you crazy? What if she changes her mind? What if...what if her parents run off with her to the Bahamas, forbidding me to see her again?" James asked. Sirius chuckled at James's dramatic outtake on the situation.  
  
"James you need to relax. Breathe." He said, putting his hands on James's shoulders. James took in two deep breaths and let them out slowly. He immediately began to feel better.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Its just, what if there really is...'  
  
"James!" Sirius said slightly loud, looking James hard in the eye. James deflated again and resumed taking deep breaths.  
  
Sirius smiled and released James. He looked out into the hall. People were slowly staring to arrive. Many of them he knew, but he hadn't a clue who any of the people on Lily's side were, except for her father, who was greeting people as they entered.  
  
Just then, Remus walked up to them, smiling broadly with Peter in tow.  
  
"Ah Moony, what news from the beyond? Have any elephants escaped from the zoo, casing a traffic jam?" he asked, looking at Remus innocently. Sirius suppressed the urge to laugh as he felt James flinch worriedly next to him.  
  
Peter chuckled. "No, nothing like that. We just thought you should know." He said. At James's expectant face, Remus chuckled.  
  
"Lily's here." He said simply. James let out a nervous squeak and put a hand to his head.  
  
"Lily's here. Sirius, Lily's here!" he said, grabbing Sirius's face, squishing his cheeks together. Sirius laughed, pried James's hands off him and turned to the other two Marauder's.  
  
"Places boys." He said. As Remus and Peter did so, Professor Dumbledore appeared on James's right.  
  
"Professor, did you hear? Lily's here!" James said excitedly. Dumbledore looked at James with amusement.  
  
"You'll have to excuse him sir. He's a bit tense." Sirius said. Dumbledore chuckled and put a hand on James's shoulder.  
  
"James close your eyes." He said. James looked at his old Headmaster questioningly, but did as he was told. Sirius watched on with interest as Dumbledore placed the palm of his right hand against James's forehead and closed his eyes also. He muttered a few words and seconds later, James's breathing slowed and his muscles seemed to relax.  
  
Dumbledore released him and James opened his eyes. He smiled at his headmaster.  
  
"Thanks, for...what-ever that was." He said. Dumbledore smiled, winked at Sirius and took his place at the alter.  
  
"What was that? You ok?" Sirius whispered. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok. Still a bit nervous though." He said, sticking a finger into his collar and tugging nervously. Sirius smiled, nodded and turned back to the front.  
  
--------------------------  
  
Lily saw her father walk down the steps of the church, up to the car and open the door for her. She stuck her head out and smiled as the warm sun hit her face. Her father held his hand out for her. She took it and stepped gracefully out of the car.  
  
"Here, we got your dress!" Allison said, running down the steps, Trinity in tow. Lily smiled as Allison, Kim and Trinity helped her with her dress. Lily stepped out onto the pavement properly and looked up at the church. She felt Allison primping her dress, but everything seemed distant. Her mind was focused on one thing, and one thing only.  
  
Andrew slipped his daughters arm through his and kissed her temple. "You look beautiful sweetheart." He said, looking at his daughter warmly. Lily smiled and kissed her father's cheek.  
  
"Thank you daddy. So do you." She said, adjusting his tie unnecessarily. Andrew chuckled and kissed his wife as she walked past.  
  
"See you in a minute." She said. Lily nodded and her mother ran up the steps, her heels clicking on each step.  
  
Allison handed Lily her bouquet and smiled. "You ready?" she asked. Lily smiled, looked around and nodded.  
  
"More than ever." She said dreamily. Allison smiled and stepped aside as the photographers rushed past her to Lily. Lily rolled her eyes, but posed with her father anyway. Allison chuckled as the photographers made her turn to different angles. One of them was muggle, while the other was a witch.  
  
Finally, after a few minutes of photos, they hurried off into the church, leaving Lily and the others alone.  
  
Lily looked up at the church again and smirked.  
  
"Come on, let's go."  
  
-----------------  
  
James sighed impatiently, looking around the hall. He didn't look at his side, as he knew them all. He was more interested in Lily's side. His eyes fell over many different looking people. He smiled as he pulled back his perspective and realized that about a quarter of her family were redheads.  
  
He scanned the area again...and his eyes fell on the people he had not expected to be there.  
  
Petunia and Vernon Dursley were sitting very close together, chatting away with some of their family, but at various intervals were casting nervous glances over at James's family.  
  
James smirked, a few mischievous thoughts going through his head. Ever since he had been exposed to their existence, James had been itching to play pranks on the Dursleys. Of course, he hadn't told Lily this, as he knew she would probably be quite furious.  
  
As fate would have it, Petunia's gaze shifted to James. She seemed a little startled to see him looking at her, but they held each-others gaze defiantly. James smirked and winked at her wondering what she would do. As he predicted, she glared at him, turned to Vernon and whispered something to him. Vernon turned his head sharply at James and gave him a rather icy stare as well. James, hardly caring what that oaf thought of him, winked, blew him a kiss and smirked at him. Vernon went red, looked away. They did not look back at James again.  
  
James chuckled and turned back to the oak doors at the end of the hall. He was quivering with excitement. He opened his mouth to strike up conversation with Sirius, when all of a sudden, the casual music that had been playing in the background changed. Everyone silenced instantly and turned to the back.  
  
James stiffened and swallowed. He folded his hands in front of him and stood up straight. There was a few moments pause, where all that could be seen were shadows moving along the floor, until finally, Kim appeared in the doorway.  
  
James smiled, taking in what she looked like. She looked very pretty in her dress. She smiled into the hall and made her way slowly up the isle, clutching her bouquet in front of her. James couldn't help but smile as the memory of their practice came into his mind. And as he felt Sirius shudder with giggles next to him, he could tell he was thinking the same thing.  
  
Kim was about a third of the way up the isle, when Trinity appeared. She too looked very good and by the way she confidently carried herself up the isle behind Kim, she knew it too.  
  
James smiled as Allison appeared. He knew what was coming next. He watched Allison sigh happily, straighten up and follow behind Trinity. James felt Sirius tense up beside him. He looked at his best friend out of the corner to find him smiling warmly, his eyes fixed on Allison.  
  
James sighed and smiled at each of the girls warmly as they passed him and took their positions opposite him. They all exchanged a look and looked at James. He frowned questioningly at them, but the simply smiled knowingly back at him. James raised his eyebrow and looked at Allison. She winked at him and nodded her head towards the entrance of the hall. James smirked and looked down at the open oak doors.  
  
The music changed to the traditional wedding march and everyone stood up. James smiled, his eyes not leaving the doorway...  
  
-----  
  
Lily watched Allison out of sight and let out a slow breath. She felt her father's hand on hers and smiled.  
  
"You ready sweetheart?" he whispered. Lily turned to him and went to answer, but stopped short as she noticed his eyelashes. They were tainted with tears.  
  
"Daddy...' she started.  
  
"No, don't you worry. You just...be happy." He said, smiling. Lily leant forward, kissed her father tears away and stroked his dirty-blonde hair.  
  
"I will. I love you daddy." She whispered. Her father smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.  
  
The music changed, signaling it was time. Lily drew herself up, took a deep breath and took her first step forward...  
  
----  
  
And she appeared. At that split second, all nervousness and worry left him. James's eyes widened as he laid his eyes on her. She was smiling warmly at him, her eyes locked onto his with a fierce intensity. James's breath caught in his throat as he looked at her entirely. A Lily in her hair... the necklace he had given to her for her 17th birthday around her neck...she was magnificent.  
  
"Sirius..." James whispered, reaching out of Sirius's arm. Sirius chuckled and held onto James's arm to stop him from falling over.  
  
"Its alright mate." He whispered. James let out a slow breath, but did not let go.  
  
He watched her slowly walk up the isle towards him, his eyes never leaving hers. He forgot about everyone else in the hall. He forgot about everyone else in the world. There was only her. He was not blinking, afraid that if he did, this would just turn out to be another of his dreams.  
  
Lily's breathing increased under his intense gaze. He was beautiful, standing there in his outfit...waiting for her. She smiled at the thought. He was _waiting_ for her. He always had been and because of this fact, she knew he would never leave.  
  
Slowly but surely, Lily made her way up to him, her father at her side. She smiled warmly as she drew lever with him, her eyes still locked onto his. He smiled as she winked at him.  
  
"Who gives this woman to this man?" Dumbledore said. James jumped slightly. He had forgotten he was there.  
  
"Her mother and I do." Andrew said. He turned to Lily, kissed her forehead, gave James a smile and sat down beside his wife. James let go of Sirius slowly and held his hand out to her. Lily smiled, placed her dainty hand in his and they turned to face Dumbledore.  
  
"You look beautiful." James whispered. He smiled, however feeling that 'beautiful' was a very inadequate way to describe her.  
  
Lily smiled and kissed his hand over her veil.  
  
"You too." She said. James smirked, winked at her and they turned back to Dumbledore.  
  
The old man looked down at his former pupils and smiled. Many memories of their..._trivial_ past came flooding back. He, like everyone else would have been hard-pressed at the time to ever predict this is where he would be standing in a few years time.   
  
"Welcome everyone, to the celebrated union of two very extraordinary, unique, wonderful people." He said, looking around the hall warmly. "I know that many of you when thinking back, find it quite amazing that these two decided to spend the rest of their lives together. But, who are we to tamper with the strings of fate? James and Lily are here today to publicly..."  
  
James turned out Dumbledore's words and looked at Lily. He wasn't surprised to see that she had done the same. Her emerald green ones stared intensely into his brown ones. Lily could feel his thumb stroking her hand softly. Lily felt she could have stood there forever, just staring at him.  
  
"James?"  
  
James jumped as Dumbledore's voice broke through his daze, bringing him back to reality.  
  
"Sorry sir, what was that?" he asked. Dumbledore smiled as many giggles rose from the crowd.  
  
"I was saying that you and Lily have prepared your own vows. And, now is usually the time where you present them to each other." He said.  
  
James's eyes widened. "Oh!" he said, reaching into his pocket. Lily smiled as James searched all his available pockets, finally finding a small piece of paper. He sighed with relief and unfolded the piece of paper. They turned to face each other and he looked up at her again.  
  
"Ok, it took me a while to sum up how I feel about you on a short piece of paper, but I think this is ok." He said, grinning. Lily chuckled and watched him expectantly, her hand still in his. James cleared his throat, fixed his glasses with his free hand and began.  
  
"Lily, many men before me have wasted their vows on sappy, love-letter type vows that they feel are romantic and such. But for you, I know you would want it to be from my heart, not from some ponsy poet's." He said, smirking. The hall ran with soft laughter, Lily's included. Encouraged, James went on.  
  
"Lily, there's only one sentence that comes close to describing how I feel about you. I love you Lily, and I always have. You're the girl I loved before I even knew what that meant, and although you were distant and dismissive of me, my feelings for you only seemed to intensify. I love you more than Quidditch, food and my Chudley Cannons boxer shorts."  
  
Lily threw her head back and laughed like everyone else, but she knew that only a select few knew how much that remark really meant.  
  
"Today is the day I've been waiting for since I met you. So, there's no turning back...and I wouldn't even if I had the chance." He said. "So many words are inadequate to describe how deep my love for you is...but I hope you can feel it." He said, smiling charmingly at her. James sniffed back, feeling himself tearing up.  
  
There was a moment of silence, before Lily cleared her throat at took James's other hand in hers. James smiled. '_Of course, she's rehearsed_ _it._' He thought, feeling proud.  
  
"James, I...' she stopped. James's smile faltered, thinking something was wrong, but he smiled again, as she was simply beginning to get choked up.  
  
'James, I know that our past has been rather...rocky,' she said. James chuckled at the understatement of the century and let her continue ', but that's the past. We have the rest of our lives together...and I know that you're the only one I want to spend it with." She said. James smiled and kissed her knuckles.  
  
"Many marriages don't last because someone marries the first person they fall in love with. But James, you're the last man I'll ever love and no- one..._no-one_ will ever take your place in my heart." She said softly. James sighed and breathed in again, reveling in the words she was giving him.  
  
"All these fancy trappings and decorations we have bathed ourselves in today, really don't directly express what we're trying to say to each other. However, they do come very, _very_ close." Lily said, smirking. James laughed softly. "At the end of the day, all that matters is that you're here, I'm here...and the rings are here."  
  
James laughed and kissed her hand again as she finished. Dumbledore smiled warmly at the two of them.  
  
"Alright James, repeat after me. I, James Aaron Potter..."  
  
"I, James Aaron Potter...'  
  
Sirius seemed to tune out the rest as he watched his best friend say the traditional vows to Lily. Sirius knew that it was common knowledge that a wedding day was usually focused on the Bride, but he could not help himself by focusing only on his best friend.  
  
James was glowing with admiration as he stared intently at Lily, listening to her say her vows to him. Sirius smiled, recognizing the facial expression on James's face. It was an expression that Sirius had only seen flashes of in the past, whenever James talked about Lily. Even the thought of her brought a light to his face, making him seem at peace with everything.  
  
Sirius knew that he was the only one that had ever really seen this side of James so intensely. Until now.  
  
"Now, may we have the rings?" Dumbledore said. Sirius tuned himself back into the ceremony and smiled at James and Lily's expectant faces. He reached confidently into his pocket and drew out the rings. One a simple, golden band. The other was a ring with three stones in it.  
  
He handed them lazily over to James. James winked at him and turned back to Lily. He handed his ring to Lily and took her left hand.  
  
"Lily, with this ring I promise my undying devotion to you...and only you." He said. Lily smiled as he slipped the ring gracefully onto her slender finger. Lily smiled, took his hand and paused.  
  
"James, with this ring I promise my undying devotion to you...and only you." She repeated. James smiled as she softly slipped his ring on his finger. James's eyes widened as she pulled him forward a little. "A ring is round, it has no end, and that's how long, I'll be your friend." She whispered. James chuckled, squeezed her hand and pulled back.  
  
"Well then, by the power invested in me as Headmaster of...' Dumbledore trailed off, looking at Lily and James's warning looks 'Er, as Headmaster of Johnson's school for the gifted...' James and Lily smiled in relief '...I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." He said happily.  
  
James smiled and turned to Lily excitedly. This was the bit he had been waiting for.  
  
After a few long moments of James simply standing there, staring at her, Dumbledore laughed softly. "Well, go on. Kiss her!" Dumbledore chuckled. Everyone laughed as James lifted her veil, grabbed her shoulders, dipped her and kissed her.  
  
The hall rang with applause and Lily laughed into his mouth, throwing her arms around his neck. James let her up and smiled warmly down at her. She threw her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. James closed his eyes, lifted her off the floor and squeezed her tightly.  
  
After a few seconds, the music came back, signaling their cue to walk down the isle together. James put her back down on the ground and released her. Lily blinked back tears and linked her hand with his. James couldn't stop giggling as he began walking down the isle with her.  
  
Lily laughed as she saw the Marauders on her left, cheering madly and 'whopping' as she and James walked past. She looked to her right to see her bridesmaids dancing stupidly on the spot and her mother in tears.  
  
Lily turned to look up at James. He was grinning happily at his family as they walked slowly past them. She squeezed his hand to get his attention.  
  
He turned to look at her and smirked. "What?" he asked.  
  
"We're finally married!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down. James laughed, leant over and kissed her on the temple. The applause followed them all the way to the doors, where they turned sharply to the left and entered a room that had been prepared for them. It had been set-aside for them, so they could spend a few moments alone as newlyweds.  
  
Lily ran in and James closed the door, not far behind. For a moment, they simply stood 5 feet apart, staring and smiling widely at each other.  
  
Finally, Lily cracked, squealed and began jumping on the spot again. James laughed and mimicked her. She laughed, threw herself at him and hugged him again. James sighed and spun around with her in a circle.  
  
"Lily...you're my _wife_!" he said. Lily laughed as he set her down again, their hands still linked.  
  
"You're my _husband_!" she whispered, as if it were a huge secret just between the two of them. James chuckled, stroked her cheek and kissed her. Properly this time.  
  
They seemed connected at the lips. They did not break apart for a good few minutes' afterwoods and even then, they were breathing hard.  
  
"Lily, I have something to tell you." James said, running his hand along her side. Lily shivered and straightened his tie.  
  
"What?" she whispered. James smiled and let her fuss.  
  
"You and this dress...is indescribable." He said, pressing his nose against his. Lily chuckled and wriggled her eyebrows.  
  
"So is you and that suit." She said, running her hand along his chest. James chuckled.  
  
"Thank you. And now I have something else to tell you." He said. Lily sighed and rested her head against his chest.  
  
"Ok what?"  
  
"Its about the Honeymoon." He said, smiling. As he predicted, Lily squealed excitedly, pushed herself off him and looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Ooooo, where is it? Tell me!" she said, bobbing up and down on the spot. James chuckled and pushed himself off the door he had somehow been backed up against.  
  
"Its you and me, all alone in our own private cabin in...' he trailed off. Lily looked at him with wide eyes of expectation.  
  
"Yes yes, go on!" she said, waving her hands. James smirked and sighed.  
  
"Hawaii." He said simply. Lily froze on the spot and stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"Hawaii? As in...Hawaii?" she asked. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"Two months all to ourselves." He said. Lily gaped openly at him.  
  
"Two...two _months_?" she asked. James suddenly felt a little worried.  
  
"Is that ok?" he asked. Lily laughed, ran forward and hugged him again.  
  
"Are you _insane_? Of _course_ it is! Oh James, how wonderful!" she said. James chuckled and hugged her back. Lily had always expressed how much she wanted to go to Hawaii, ever since she had seen the movie with Elvis in it.  
  
"When do we leave? Lets go now." She said. James laughed as he watched her fuss around the room.  
  
"Now?" he chuckled.  
  
"Yes, come on. Time is wasting!" she said. James laughed and took her hand.  
  
"Lillian, there is the little matter of our guests." He said.  
  
"Oh bugger them. Lets just go now!" she said, tugging on his jacket sleeve. James laughed and shook his head.  
  
"We could, but we're not expected until tomorrow afternoon." He said.  
  
Lily deflated significantly. "Oh." She said, disappointment on her face. James chuckled and looked over her shoulder and out the window.  
  
"Come on, everyone's outside." He said. Lily sighed, smiled and took his hand.  
  
Together they walked out of the room and out into the foyer. The double doors were open wide and indeed, everyone was now congregated outside. There was a red carpet running down the stairs to an awaiting car. James and Lily stood ion the doorway and were immediately greeted with applause. They smiled and began walking down the red carpet towards the car.  
  
"Guns, armed!" Came Sirius's voice. James looked at him worriedly, but relaxed as he realized what was going on. Sirius, Remus and Peter were holding bubble guns, as were the girls. As James and Lily walked past...  
  
"FIRE!" Sirius yelled.  
  
Instantly, dozens upon dozens of bubbles were produced. Lily laughed, thanking Sirius privately that he had arraigned bubbles and not rice.  
  
Lily and James broke into a run and hopped hurriedly into the back seat of the awaiting Limo.  
  
"We'll see you at the reception!" James called. Everyone applauded as Remus shut the door, tapped on the roof and the car drove off down the road. Everyone waved until it was out of sight.  
  
Sirius sighed and smiled happily as Allison took his hand in hers.  
  
"Look at you all proud." She said, smirking. Sirius chuckled and looked at the other Marauders.  
  
"Who wouldn't be? Come on, let's get to the reception."

* * *

A/N – Yay! They're married! Oh, I know that this was a very mushy, lovey- dovey chapter...but hey? It was massive too!  
  
Please review! 


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29! Well guys, can I just say how thankful I am for all your generous reviews! It pleases me that I can keep up my quality of writing, as you have no idea how hard it is for me to get a few hours alone to write these. Yes, that's right. I have to write all my stuff in secret. My family has no clue that I do this!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------  
  
"Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls and this strange man on my left...' Sirius said, smiling fondly down at Remus. Everyone laughed at the look Remus gave Sirius '...may I present to you the wonderful...the exotic...the very nice smelling...Mr. and Mrs. James Potter!"  
  
The hall rang with loud, enthusiastic applause as James and Lily walked hand in hand through the doors at the entrance. They waved at everyone happily, smiled for cameras and winked at occasional people as they made their way towards the front.  
  
They walked around the back of the large table and James hurried forward and pulled Lily's chair out for her. She smiled, adjusted her dress and sat down. James massaged her shoulders for a second, before he took the microphone of Sirius.  
  
"Thank you, thank you." James said, waving his hands. "Now, I know you're all anxious to start eating...'  
  
"Here here!" called Sirius and Trinity together, banging their fists on the table.  
  
Everyone laughed and James went on '...so I'll only hold you up for a few moments by saying... well, thanks for coming. It means a lot to me and Lily...'  
  
"Lily and I." Remus muttered. James rolled his eyes.  
  
"...Lily and _I_ that you all came to witness this. So, with that...tuck in!" he said happily. Another round of applause sounded and James sat back down.  
  
Lily leant towards him and put her hand on his knee. "Fabulous speech darling. Almost as informative as Dumbledore's used to be." She whispered. James chuckled, put his hand on hers and watched as waiters came out, baring plates of food.  
  
Lily sighed and looked around the hall. There were streamers handing from everywhere. There was a net hanging on the roof filled with balloons, and below them were fireflies. Yes, James and Lily had decided to get fireflies. It wouldn't be a fairytale wedding without them now would it?  
  
Many circular tables were opposite the main, long table. There was a rather large dancefloor in-between, and Lily was suddenly itching to get on it and dance with James. But this feeling was soon shoved aside as her food was placed in front of her.  
  
"Oh, smashing!" she said. James chuckled as he watched Lily seize her knife and fork and dive straight into her Shepard's pie.  
  
In the grand tradition on not following tradition, James and Lily had spent many hours going over each guest's favorite meals. James was aware that it was probably a waste of time and money...but he wanted everyone to be happy. And as he looked around, he could see that he and Lily's plan had been a great success.  
  
"So James, how you feeling _now_?" Sirius asked, his mouth slightly full of pumpkin. James chuckled and took a sip of his wine.  
  
"Fantastic Padfoot. Walking on air." He said, raising his glass. Sirius chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"See, everything was fine. I don't know what you were worried about." He said. James laughed and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Me? Worried? I don't know what you're on about." He said, smirking.  
  
----  
  
"Apparently, James was ready to give himself a hernia! Sirius said he's never seen him like that. Even before their last Quidditch Grand final!" Allison whispered in Lily's ear. Lily looked at her best friend in amazement.  
  
She chuckled and blinked. "Oh, I'm sure he was only exaggerating." She said dismissively.  
  
"No, he wasn't. I swear, he was serious." Allison said. Lily chuckled and Allison hit her playfully. "You _know_ what I mean." She chuckled. Lily smiled and took another sip of her drink.  
  
"I have trouble believing that smooth, confident and charismatic James Potter was in a rut over our wedding." She said defiantly. Allison shrugged.  
  
"Alright then. You put it in a Pensieve and take a look for yourself." She said. Lily chuckled.  
  
"Mmm Liry, thish food ish gread." Trinity said with her mouth full, leaning over Allison's lap to speak to the bride. Lily laughed and wiped away a spot of gravy on Trinity's chin.  
  
"I'm glad you like it." She said. Trinity smiled, sat up and looked at Allison.  
  
"You have no table manners at all!" Allison chuckled.  
  
Trinity smirked and gave Allison a wet kiss on the cheek. "And I'm proud of it." She said. Lily smiled and opened her mouth to comment, when she was cut off by a squeal.  
  
Everyone stopped talking and looked over to see Petunia standing behind Vernon's chair, looking horrified at something. Lily leant over the table and squinted to see that her sister was looking at.  
  
There, on the table were rubber mice...but they were moving. Lily snorted as she looked again at Petunia's horrified face. She turned to her right to look at the Marauders.  
  
"Alright, which one of you was it?" she asked softly. She looked accusingly at James.  
  
"What! I didn't do that!" He said, putting his hands up defensively. Lily lingered her stare on him for a moment, before she turned to the other two.  
  
"Alright then, come on. Who was it?" she asked, smirking.  
  
They all had innocent looks on their faces for a second. After a few moments of hesitation, Remus raised his hand. Lily looked at him in shock, and it was only know that she realized he had his wand out under the table. He must have been making the mice move.  
  
"Remus?" Sirius asked, also looking at him with amazement. Clearly, they had not been expecting this.  
  
Remus smirked and put his wand away. "No one calls our Lily a freak." He said. The Marauders and Lily looked at him stunned for a moment as he went back to his dinner as if nothing had happened. James snorted, reached over and clapped Remus on the shoulder.  
  
"Good work Mr. Moony." He said proudly. Peter and Sirius nodded in agreement, before they too went back to their meals as if nothing had just occurred.  
  
Lily looked back at her bridesmaid, before she shook her head in defeat. "Boys." She said.  
  
-------  
  
After everyone had finished their main meals, the desserts came out. This was the cue that Sirius had been waiting for. He leant behind him, grabbed the microphone and stood up.  
  
"Right everyone, shut up please." He said, tapping his glass with his fork. The chatter around the hall died down and Sirius smiled. "Good stuff. Now, as you're all settling into your desserts...it's now that time where I as Best man get to give a speech." He said happily. James groaned inwardly, but he was smiling.  
  
"Now, my boy James here...in case you don't already know...has been rather smitten with this red-headed beauty since oh...forever!" he said. Encouraged by the laughter, he went on. "But I don't think even _I_ predicted that they would actually get together, let alone get married!" Many people nodded enthusiastically in agreement with him.  
  
"Oh shut up." Lily chuckled. Everyone laughed and Sirius went on.  
  
"Thank you Lillian. But, in all seriousness...I don't think there is a better couple out there more deserving of praise." Sirius looked down at James and put his hand on his shoulder. "James, you are my best mate and brother. I know this probably goes without saying, but I am proud of you...and I'm honored to be able to call you my friend." Sirius said. Many resounding 'aw's' rose from the crowd as James tapped Sirius's hand.  
  
"And Lillian, I know that you haven't always liked me. In fact, that seems to the fashion now adays." He said. Lily laughed and Sirius sighed. "But...although I have given you countless moments of grief and irritation...I also want you to know that I've always admired you. You're a strong, independent woman and I love you. But don't tell James I told you that." He said, whispering the last part. Everyone laughed as Sirius reached for his glass.  
  
"So, if you all wouldn't mind standing up and raising your glasses." He said. The sound of chairs scraping against the floorboards filled the hall as everyone stood up and raised their glasses. Sirius sighed again and looked down at the sitting couple beside him.  
  
"To Lily and James. May they live the fairytale life that they have always dreamed of." He said.  
  
"To Lily and James!" echoed the hall. Everyone took a sip of their drinks.  
  
As everyone sat down, Lily's father made his way up to Sirius. Lily watched him mutter something to him. Sirius smiled, handed the microphone over and sat down.  
  
Andrew tapped the microphone with his finger and cleared his throat. "This thing on? Hello?" he said. Everyone's chatter died away. "Great. Now as father of the Bride, I _also_ have something to say." He looked down at Lily and smiled.  
  
"You know there comes a time in a father's life where he has to let go of his girls. Admittedly, I didn't think I would have to worry about that for a few more many years. But now, I know I can let you be your own." He said. Lily blinked back her tears and smiled warmly up at her father.  
  
"Lily, you are everything Sirius said and more. I know that you will be happy with James. I've seen evidence of that already." He said. Lily took his hand and squeezed it.  
  
"And James, I think you will be happy to know that I do not resent you for taking away my other little girl." He said, smirking. James laughed and nodded. "I know you will treat her with the respect she deserves. And I know you will love her with every morsel of your being. I see it every time you look at her. And Rose and I agree that...we couldn't have picked a better match for Lily." He said.  
  
Applause rose as Andrew placed the microphone back. James stood up and shook Andrew's hand.  
  
"Thank you sir." He said, smiling. Andrew chuckled, leant forward and kissed James on the forehead.  
  
"No, thank _you_." He said. James beamed at his father-in-law and sat back down, giving Lily room to say her thanks.  
  
--------  
  
"Right, and now its time for the newlyweds to dance their first dance as Husband and wife. So Mr. Wormtail, music please!" Remus said happily into the microphone. Lily and James smiled as Peter jumped out of his seat and ran over to the record player.  
  
James stood up and pushed his chest out importantly. "Shall we?" he asked, holding his hand out. Lily smiled, took his hand and let him pull her up.  
  
"After you good sir." She said. James smiled and led Lily out onto the dance floor, cheered on by the applause of the reception party. James led her into the middle of the floor, put his hand on her hip, took her hand in his other and began swaying with her slowly.  
  
_Someday, when I'm awfully low,__When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you... And the way you look tonight.  
  
Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm, And your cheeks so soft, There is nothing for me but to love you, And the way you look tonight.  
_  
Lily smiled and closed her eyes as James pressed his cheek against hers and sang low in her ear along with the music.  
  
_With each word your tenderness grows, Tearing my fear apart... And that laugh that wrinkles your nose, It touches my foolish heart,  
  
Lovely...never ever change, Keep that breathless charm, Wont you please arrange it, 'Cause I love you...just the way you look tonight.  
_  
James opened his eyes slowly as the song came to an end. He smiled and blinked as he realized what had been going on.  
  
"Lily, look." He whispered. Another song started again as Lily opened her eyes. She smiled and laughed.  
  
The fireflies had flown down from the ceiling and were now dancing around her and James. She looked at James and stroked his cheek. "I love you." She whispered. James smiled, spun her around and kissed her cheek.  
  
"The feeling's mutual." He said. Lily laughed and pressed her cheek against his again.  
  
Slowly, more couples joined them on the floor, each of them obvious catching the 'Love-bug' that James and Lily had been infected with. Sirius grabbed up Allison's mother and dragged her onto the dance floor as Remus took Allison's hand.  
  
"Trinity wants to wait until a more up-beat song." He said, smirking. Allison laughed and followed him into the crowd.  
  
"I'm surprised you're actually _willing_ to dance. Aren't you the prude who doesn't like shaking his groove thang?" Allison asked, putting her hands around his neck. Remus chuckled and shrugged.  
  
"This type's ok. Its just...when I dance disco, it looks like I'm having some sort of seizure." He said, smirking. Allison laughed and hit him playfully.  
  
"Hey, if you want lessons, I'll gladly provide." She said. Remus chuckled.  
  
"I think Sirius would kill me."  
  
"Who am I killing now?" Sirius asked, waltzing over with Allison's mother. Mrs. Jessup chuckled and shook her head.  
  
"No-one Padfoot. Here, I'll swap you." He said. And before Allison could object, Sirius and Remus somehow changed partners with one swift movement. Allison laughed as she watched her mother dance off into the crowd with Remus.  
  
"Ah my love, fancy meeting you in a place like this." He said. Allison snorted and ran her hand along his shoulder.  
  
"You look very handsome in this you know." She said. Sirius smiled and slowly ran his fingers along Allison's bare neckline.  
  
"You look very handsome too." He said. Allison smiled and took in a deep breath, enjoying the trail of tingles his fingers were leaving on her shoulders.  
  
--  
  
"May I cut in?"  
  
James and Lily turned to see Andrew and Rose dancing beside them. James smiled and released Lily.  
  
"Of course sir." He said. He kissed Lily on the cheek and grabbed Rose. "Hello Mrs. Evans." He said, smirking. Rose chuckled and tapped his head condescendingly.  
  
"James dear, it's Rose." She said. James chuckled and continued dancing with her. He looked over to his left to see Lily dancing with her father. James smiled as he watched Lily throw her head back and laugh heartily at something her father said to her.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Rose said. James tore his eyes away from Lily and smiled down at her.  
  
"Light-headed. But, that could also be the wine." He said, smirking. Rose chuckled and ran her hand along the Lily in his chest pocket.  
  
"What Andrew said was the truth you know. We really are very happy for the two of you." She said. James smiled and let out a sigh.  
  
"Thank you. That means a lot. To the both of us."  
  
Rose smiled, reached up and kissed him on the forehead. James smiled, twirled her and kissed her hand. Rose laughed as James pulled her back to him. The song changed and James's eyes widened.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry Rose but...I _really_ have to dance this song with Lily!" he said hurriedly. Rose laughed and let go of him.  
  
"Ok then, go. Quick." She said. James laughed, kissed her cheek and ran over to Lily and her father.  
  
"May I cut back in?" he asked. Andrew smiled, bowed and left his daughter. James growled, grabbed Lily around the middle and began singing along with the music.  
  
_Those fingers in my hair, That sly come hither there, That strips my conscious bare, Its witchcraft...  
_  
"James, my parents are watching!" Lily whispered. James smirked. His hands were walking in dangerous places as he breathed her in. Lily however, wasn't making any attempt to make him stop.  
  
_And I've got no defense for it, The heat is too intense for it, What good would common sense for it do?  
_  
Lily smirked, enjoying this far too much to protest and began signing with him.  
  
_'Cause its witchcraft, wicked witchcraft  
And although, I know, it's strictly taboo,  
  
When you arouse the need in me, My heart says yes indeed in me, Proceed with what you're leading me to,  
  
Its such an ancient pitch, But one I wouldn't switch, 'Cause there's no nicer witch that you._  
  
James dipped her on the final note and Lily laughed. She loved that song and didn't know how much James liked it as well. He let her up and pressed his forehead against hers.  
  
"Have I impressed you yet?" he asked. Lily chuckled and kissed him rather boldly.  
  
"No, keep trying." She said.  
  
And with that, she walked over to Peter and stared dancing with him, leaving James alone in the middle of the floor with a huge grin on his face.  
  
---  
  
"Hey boy."  
  
James looked up to see his father and Sirius standing there. James smiled and shifted along the stool. They smiled and sat down on either side of him.  
  
"Why aren't you mingling you anti-social bastard?" Sirius asked, nudging him with his shoulder. James chuckled as he bumped side-ways into his father.  
  
"I'm admiring the scenery." He said dreamily, looking out into the crowd. Richard and Sirius exchanged a look, before they too looked out and saw what James had been looking at. As if they couldn't guess already.  
  
Lily was dancing slowly with Allison's father. They looked to be having a very amusing conversation, as each of them was slightly red from laughing. Lily's hair was slowly coming out of his bun, but it actually looked better that way. Now that her veil had been taken off, her hair showed off beautifully.  
  
Sirius looked at James and smiled. He had another of his dopey looks and apparently was no longer worried about showing it.  
  
"You've only danced with her three times. That's disgraceful.' Richard said. James snorted and took another sip of his drink.  
  
"Well, I'm not fussed. I can share her tonight." He said. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"Now you listen to me Bambi." He said, taking James's drink off him. "Get your butt out there and make your wife swoon!" he said. "You cant expect her to be all horney tonight without upping the anti a little." He said.  
  
James spluttered out a laugh, amazed that Sirius was talking like that in front of his father.  
  
"But...but..."  
  
"No buts! Get out there!" he said, kicking James slightly. James winced and got out of his seat, followed by his father's laughing.  
  
"Alright alright! Groom basher." He said. Sirius winked at him and James smiled, walked over to Lily and broke up her and Mr. Jessup.  
  
"Oh Sirius, are you next in line?" Richard asked, folding his arms over his chest. Sirius chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Not for a long while Mr. Potter." He said. Richard chuckled.  
  
"Well, let me know when you're ready. I'm eagerly looking forward to your wedding day." He said. Sirius looked at him in slight amazement.  
  
"You...you are?" he asked. Richard chuckled and tapped Sirius on the knee.  
  
"You're one of my boys. What parent isn't excited about their boys getting married?" he asked. Sirius smiled and tapped his glass with Richards.  
  
"Cheers." He said.  
  
-----  
  
For the next hour, it seemed that everyone had danced with everyone. James and Lily seemed to be only couple that weren't changing at the end of every song. Finally though, James seemed to get a sudden idea as his eyes landed on the object of his prankster desires.  
  
"Lily, can I go dance with your sister?" he asked innocently. Lily grabbed his arm tightly as he started to make his way over to Petunia. She was dancing with Vernon a fair distance away from everyone else.  
  
"No! Don't you _dare_ leave me alone with Vernon." She whispered harshly. James chuckled and tried to pry her hard off him.  
  
"But...come on! I'm prankishly-frustrated here." He whispered back. Lily grabbed his arms and pulled him away.  
  
"No, I refuse to dance with that...man." She finished lamely. James chuckled. He was under the impression that 'Man' wasn't anywhere near what Lily was going to say.  
  
"Alright. Ok, I'll stay." He said. Lily sighed dramatically and threw her arms around his waist.  
  
"Thank you." She said. James chuckled and rubber her back. He looked over Lily's shoulder at Sirius and tried to catch his eye. Sirius looked up from dancing with Kim and raised an eyebrow.  
  
James indicated his head to Petunia and winked. Sirius looked over at the Dursleys, smirked and chuckled. He nodded at James and looked innocently back down at Kim. James smiled and looked back down at Lily. She had her head pressed against his chest and had not seen a thing.  
  
----  
  
Slowly, the night went on. Many amusing events had transpired as a result of the Marauders, such as James and Remus doing the tango, Peter, Allison and Kim planting whoopee cushions under many people simultaneously and Sirius dancing madly around the room with a very terrified Petunia Dursely, causing many people to jump out of the way to avoid getting a serious injury.  
  
"Alright everyone, cake time!" called Peter. Everyone all cheered and gathered in a circle around James and Lily. They all let out whistles of impressments as the wedding cake got wheeled out.  
  
It was about a meter high and was complete chocolate. James and Lily had gone with that cake they had picked and as James had said, 'To hell with the price'.  
  
The couple stepped forward and picked up the knife that lay beside it with both of their hands.  
  
"Wait! Hold on!" Sirius said. James and Lily stopped short of plunging the knife into the cake as Sirius stepped forward, holding a small box.  
  
James eyes if suspiciously. "Sirius, what's that?" he asked. Sirius smirked and sighed.  
  
"Just a little finishing touch." He said. He lifted the box, reached in and pulled out two small plastic figurines.  
  
"Oh Sirius!" Lily said happily. James laughed as Sirius placed them on the top of the cake.  
  
They were two little plastic replicas of James and Lily. But these weren't normal Muggle figurines, these moved by themselves. As soon as Sirius placed them on the cake, the little James and Lily bowed and curtsied at each other and began waltzing around the top of the cake.  
  
James and Lily smiled and each other, and cut the cake, sinking the knife deep into the base. Everyone applauded as the knife touched the bottom and Lily and James shared another kiss.  
  
---  
  
Finally, the reception came to close. It was well into the early hours of the morning before people stepped out into the streets. Lily and James hung behind, saying good-bye to everyone as they walked out the door.  
  
"Come on. I've got another surprise for you." James said. Lily smiled and let herself be led out into the night air.  
  
"James, how many surprised can you possibly..." Lily trailed off. Her eyes widened in wonder as she looked out past the crowd to what was awaiting her in the street.  
  
Another red carpet was laid out before them that trailed off down to the pavement. And there, awaiting the couple placidly was a silver, horse-drawn carriage. But horses were not pulling it. Instead, they were...  
  
"Unicorns!" Lily breathed, putting a hand to her face. James smiled and beamed down at the carriage. Two full-grown unicorns were waiting there patiently, scratching at the road with their hoofs and sniffing the air.  
  
"The only unicorns tame enough in England. You like?" he asked, slipping her arm through his. Lily chuckled and kissed him.  
  
"Thank you so much!" she said. James smiled and led her down the carpet.  
  
Everyone applauded enthusiastically as the couple made their way slowly down the carpet. James reached the carriage first, opened the door and held his hand out for Lily. She smiled, took his hand and put her foot onto the step.  
  
"Wait a minute girly! The bouquet!" Allison called. Many women cried out in outraged agreement. Lily laughed, got down and spun around.  
  
"Alright, you ready?" she called over her shoulder. James rolled his eyes, as all the women seemed to swarm around the back of her, all jumping up and down excitedly. Lily laughed hesitated and threw the bouquet over her shoulder.  
  
The women all pushed, shoved, kicked and scratched to get to the bunch of flowers. Remus was laughing so hard that he was leaning against Sirius, who also seemed to be having trouble breathing.  
  
Finally, Trinity raised her arm triumphantly into the air, receiving a few death glares. Remus's laughing stopped instantly.  
  
The women applauded as Lily got into the carriage, James not far behind. The crowd walked up to the side of the carriage.  
  
"Move move, I'm the best man!" Sirius said, shoving his way through the crowd.  
  
"You take care of the house tomorrow." James said. Sirius laughed and patted his friend on the hand.  
  
"Its in good hands Prongs. We'll see you tomorrow" he said. James nodded, tapped the driver on the shoulder and they were off.  
  
"Bye!" they called as they rose off down the street. Everyone called out their good-byes as the newlyweds rode off into the night, the fireflies following behind leaving a trail of magical light behind them.  
  
-----  
  
"James put me down!" Lily laughed, her arm wrapped around James's neck. James laughed and kicked the door open.  
  
"No, I'm meant to carry you over the threshold." He said, pressing his nose against hers. Lily sighed as James carried her through the doorway.  
  
"I must be dreadfully heavy." She said. James chuckled and put her down.  
  
"Nonsense. You're light as a feather, you are." He said. Lily smiled and put a hand to her hair as James closed the door and turned the light on. They walked into the living room and stood five feet away from each other. Lily sighed and smiled, him retuning it.  
  
A silence hung in the air for a moment, before James cleared his throat.  
  
"Lily, this has been the best day of my entire life." He said. Lily chuckled and took a step towards him.  
  
"Even better than winning your first Quidditch grand final?" she asked. James laughed and shook his head.  
  
"Much better." He said. Lily smiled.

"Its been the same for me too." she said, showing off her perfect teeth. James returned with his charming smile and sighed.  
  
There was another short silence, until once again...James spoke up.  
  
"So, our wedding night." He said. Lily smiled and nodded.  
  
"Our wedding night." She said.  
  
James took another step towards her. "You know traditionally, this is the part where we're meant to fall passionately into each others arms and make love until the sun comes up." He said, taking her hand. Lily smirked and closed the distance between them.  
  
"Yes, I know." She whispered.  
  
But they just stared at each other. And it was an uncomfortable silence.  
  
Lily cleared her throat.  
  
"James?" she whispered.  
  
"Hmm?" James asked, pressing his forehead against hers.  
  
"Would it be terribly horrible to ask if we could hold off the passionate love-making until tomorrow?" she asked. James looked down at her in surprise.  
  
"You...you don't want to?" he asked. Lily hesitated, but finally sighed and shook her head. James let out a breath and smiled. "Oh, thank god for that." He said. Lily looked up at him with shock.  
  
"What?" she spluttered. James chuckled.  
  
"Its just...I'm so bloody _tired_." He said, closing his eyes to emphasize the point. Lily sighed in relief and smiled.  
  
"Oh, so am I! I can barely stand up!" she chuckled. James laughed and kissed her shortly  
  
"Shall we just...go to bed then?" he asked. Lily moaned and rested her head against his chest.  
  
"Carry me." She said tiredly.  
  
James chuckled, picked her up again and carried her up to the bedroom, ironically hardly waiting for a good night's sleep.

* * *

A/N – Oh how funny! Now that they actually can have sex, they don't want to. Oh, it amuses me.  
  
Sorry about another really long chapter, but it's all in good fun. Lol, and you all thought I would leave it at the wedding. I don't think so!

And, the songs are called 'The way you look tonight' and 'Witchcraft' and are both by Frank Sinatra.

Please review!


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30! Man, I didn't realize this story would be so long! I really admire your patience guys. This story's coming to an end soon. There's a sex scene in this, I hope you're ready!

* * *

Sirius watched on in amusement as Lily dragged her suitcase down the stairs, looking very excited, yet very worn out.  
  
"Lillian, you're a witch." Sirius chuckled. Lily looked down at him halfway down the stairs and blew a loose strand of hair out of her face.  
  
"Your point being?"  
  
Sirius sighed and pulled out his wand. "_Locomotor suitcase_". And the suitcase levitated off the gr

ound and began floating effortlessly down the stairs. Lily sighed, hopped on the railing and slid down it, landing on the floor with a THUMP.  
  
"Oh dear Mr. Black, what _will_ I do without you for two months?" she asked, grabbing her suitcase as it flew down next to her.  
  
Sirius examined the suitcase. "Maybe you can pack me in there. I sure wouldn't mind going to Hawaii for two months." He said.  
  
"Yeah, well I bloody would."  
  
Sirius and Lily looked around to see James walking into the entrance hall, brochures in his hands and a suitcase hovering at his side. Sirius laughed and shrugged.  
  
"Hey, I didn't mean with _you_ two. I don't want to have to see you two all lovey-dovey every second of the day." Sirius said, cringing dramatically to emphasize the point. Lily laughed and James shook his head.  
  
"Now listen here Lassie...' James said, poking Sirius in the chest to get his attention '...while you stay here there are few rules that must be followed. Number one...no eating us out of house and home, Number two...no Animagi form in the house...number three, no motorbikes on the roof...number four...'  
  
"_OK _James. I'm not a bloody juvenile delinquent." Sirius said, as if the whole idea was offensive. Lily sighed and pushed James slightly towards the door.  
  
"Sirius, we trust you. James is just being paranoid." She said, looking at her husband lovingly. James chuckled and picked up his suitcase.  
  
Sirius was going to be house-sitting for them while they were away on their Honeymoon. That way, it gave Sirius the 'Living Independently' experience, and the house could stay clean at the same time.  
  
James sighed and examined his watch. "Right then. 11'oclock. Time to go my love." James said. Lily gave a small squeak of excitement and pulled out her wand.  
  
"See you in two months." Sirius said, stepping back.  
  
"We'll send postcards." Lily said happily. Sirius nodded and seconds later, James and Lily disapparated with a 'pop'.  
  
Sirius put his hands on his hips and sighed.  
  
"They gone yet?"  
  
Sirius smiled and looked over his shoulder to see Remus's head, sticking in the doorway.  
  
"Oh yeah." He said. Remus laughed and walked properly into the room, rubbing his hands together.  
  
"Perfect."  
  
-------------  
  
Lily sighed and blinked the sun out of her eyes as she and James stepped away from their apparation point and walked out into the streets of Honolulu. She grabbed James's hand excitedly and squeezed it.  
  
"Oooo, I can't believe it!" she whispered to him. James laughed and led her up the road towards the hotel.  
  
Already many people were arriving, obviously a new batch of tourists just freshly off the plane.  
  
As Lily and James walked through the double-doors of the building, James heard Lily sigh next to him. "What?" he asked, putting his suitcase down next to him.  
  
"Oh just a bit disappointed. I mean, see? That's the trouble of not flying. We didn't even get the chance to get laid." She said. James let out a splutter and looked at her in amazement.  
  
"Didn't get what?" he asked. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Laid. You know, when you get off the plane at the airport, there's people waiting at the bottom of the stairs...and you get laid." She said. James was still looking at her, wide eyed.  
  
"You mean...they...they um...' he stuttered. Lily chuckled and made him take a step forward. The line in front of the front desk was moving.  
  
"What's the big deal about getting laid?" she asked. James let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"In public and all?" he whispered. Lily snorted.  
  
"Well, it's not exactly a big deal you know." She said. James again looked at her in shock. "Look, see? _They_ have them on." Lily said. James looked over to where she was pointing. There was an elderly couple, all dressed up in Hawaiian clothes...and they had a necklace of flowers around their neck.  
  
James's mind suddenly snapped into gear. He had learnt this in Muggle studies.  
  
"Oh! _Lei_! Oh...alright then." He chuckled. Lily snorted and looked back at him.  
  
"Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?" she said. James smiled bashfully and whispered in her ear.  
  
"JAMES!"  
  
------  
  
"Well, here you are sir. The best room in the hotel." The bellboy said, waving his hand in the doorway importantly. James smiled and walked in.  
  
The room was massive. The first thing James clapped eyes on was the bed on his right. Not for any sick, perverted reason, but because of its sheer size it was rather hard to miss. It had to be at least a queen size, but James didn't mind. He and Lily were used to this size.  
  
There was a fireplace lying unnecessarily in the opposite wall and various furniture accessories around the massive room. There was a bathroom off to the left of the bed, but the best feature that James and he also knew Lily would be happy with...was the large window in front of him, giving off a view of the beach and the mountains in the distance.  
  
James smiled, walked up to the window and pressed his hands against it, looking down at the shore below. It was filled with people and large umbrellas.  
  
"Ah yes. That view is most talked about sir. A wonderful view of the sunset." The bellboy said, coming up to stand next to James.  
  
"Good stuff. Oh, and thanks for helping with the bags." James said, looking at the bellboy.  
  
"Oh, think nothing of it sir. Less work for your wife to do." He said, winking. James chuckled and clapped the boy on the shoulder.  
  
"Yes yes, it's all about her." He said, walking back away from the window.  
  
"Where _is_ your wife sir?" the boy asked, bringing in the last suitcase from the hallway. James chuckled and sat down on the bed.  
  
"In the ladies. Honestly, I told her to go before we left." He said. The boy chuckled and put the suitcase down next to James.  
  
"Well, women can be a bit like that sir, if you don't mind me saying." He said. James laughed and stood up.  
  
"No, not at all. Thanks again mate." He said, handing the boy an American $20 note. The boy smiled broadly and nodded.  
  
"Thanks a lot sir. I hope you and your wife enjoy your stay." He said. James smiled and followed him to the door.  
  
"Oh we will. Thanks again." He said. The bellboy smiled and James closed the door as he walked off down the hall.  
  
James flopped back down on the bed again and closed his eyes. He breathed in the smell of the room. It smelled strongly of summer and the beach. James chuckled, hardly expecting anything else. But that thought was quickly pushed aside as another pressing one barged in.  
  
His wife.  
  
James simply could not get over the fact that Lily Evans, Head girl and enemy of James potter since the age of 11 was now his wife.  
  
"Lily Potter." James said softly, enjoying the sound of her name roll out of his mouth.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
James jumped slightly as he felt Lily run her hand along his stomach. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was lying on her side next to him, smiling warmly down at him. James smirked and took her hand, bringing it up to his face. He hadn't even heard her come in.  
  
"Just getting used to it." He said. Lily smiled as James kissed her fingertips, one by one.  
  
"And? How does it feel?" she asked. James moaned slightly and released her hand.  
  
"You tell me." He said. Lily leant over and kissed his chin softly.  
  
"Wonderful." She whispered. James closed his eyes, enjoying the effect her subtle kisses were having on him. But she pulled away rather quickly and he felt her get off the bed.  
  
"Come on. Take me shopping." She said, opening her suitcase. James groaned and sat up, looking down at her.  
  
"Shopping? Are you insane?" he asked. Lily chuckled and put a pair on sunglasses on.  
  
"Yes, I am. Now come _on_!" she said, pulling him up. James laughed and reluctantly followed her out of the room.  
  
-------  
  
"Sirius, James said no Animagi form in the house!" Remus said, kicking a large black dog off the end of the couch and onto the floor. Sirius looked up at him and sniffed indignantly.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes. "Don't you sniff at me, its not my fault! Don't think he wont know." He said. Sirius turned back into his human form and looked down at Remus in mock irritation.  
  
"Going to tell on me Mr. Moony?" he asked, flopping back down on the couch. "No prefect badge means no taddling." He said. Remus rolled his eyes, got up and changed the channel on the TV.  
  
Sirius and Remus sat in silence for a good ten minutes after that. It's always said that the best of friends can always sit in silence and not feel it to be uncomfortable. Sirius and Remus were very good friends, but of course, that went without saying.  
  
A commercial break came on and in that split second, Trinity apparated into the living room and smiled warmly down at Remus. "Hey handsome." She said. Remus smirked, stood up and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Hey. You found my note then?" he asked. Trinity nodded. "Alright then, let's go. Padfoot, you'll be alright here by yourself?" Remus asked, taking Trinity's hand. Sirius chuckled.  
  
"Yes Mum. And I wont open the door for strangers and I wont answer the phone...'  
  
"Alright alright. I'll see you when I see you then." Remus said. Sirius chuckled and winked at Trinity.  
  
Trinity laughed. "Bye Sirius." She said. Sirius nodded and the two of them disapparated.  
  
Sirius relaxed back into the couch and closed his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had a few minutes to himself. He had been running around planning James's stag night, the Unicorns and the carriage, and not to mention school.  
  
It wasn't that he minded, but it was just a relief to stop for a few seconds and marvel in the silence that he now found himself in. That's what Remus was good for. Remus also understood the need for silence.  
  
Sirius was so absorbed in his meditation-like state, that he didn't even notice Allison walk into the house. She smiled and walked over to him, not wanting to disturb him. She could tell he wasn't asleep, as he breathing wasn't as steady and his eyelids were fluttering.  
  
Allison straddled him, one leg on each side and ran her hands along his chest. "Wakey wakey." She whispered. Sirius smiled and opened his eyes.  
  
"Hello beautiful." He said. Allison smiled, leant forward and kissed him. Sirius moaned and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
It wasn't very long at all until Allison got a much-wanted reaction out of him. She smiled against his lips and pulled back, breathing hard.  
  
"You want to go back to my place? My parents are out all night." She said, running a finger along his jaw line. Sirius chuckled and kissed her softly.  
  
"Why cant we just stay here?" he whispered. Allison snorted as Sirius began kissing her neck.  
  
"Honey, this is our best friends house. I would feel weird." She said. Sirius chuckled against her neck and pulled back.  
  
"Alright then." He said. Allison smiled, reluctantly got off him and got her wand out.  
  
"Race you!" she challenged and disappeared without waiting for an answer. Sirius chuckled and shook his head.  
  
He went around; making sure the house was locked up and followed her, the need for silence gone completely.  
  
-----  
  
Lily and James had just had one of the most tiring days. Lily had taken him around everywhere, desperate to get orientated with the island. James had tried repeatedly to tell her that they had a whole two months to do this, but Lily was very insistent.  
  
As James looked at her across the table, eating her dinner, he smiled to himself. Lily was never one to procrastinate. She always had to do things as soon as possible. From homework, to organizing furniture the day they moved into Godric's Hollow, to today.  
  
She looked at him and smiled, noticing his staring. "What? Do I have food in my teeth?" she asked, picking her teeth nervously. James chuckled and took a sip of his wine.  
  
"No. You're just right." He said. Lily smiled and blew him a kiss over the table. James chuckled and looked around the restaurant.  
  
Many of the hotel residents had come out of hiding for dinner. Apparently, dinner was a very large, highly anticipated event. And James could definitely see why.  
  
The food was excellent. Most of it was self-serving, but there was the option of specific ordering. James was in the mood for seafood.  
  
Lily watched him look around the room, feeling very content. She had assumed that because of their eventful day, she would be worn out completely. But she seemed to be anything but. She was still full of energy and as she eyed the dance floor for the 5th time that minute, she wasn't really complaining.  
  
James noticed her look at the floor and smiled. He took the last bite of his salad, stood up and held his hand out. "Care to dance fair maiden?" he asked pompously. Lily chuckled, wiper her mouth with her napkin and stood up.  
  
She took his hand and smiled. "Lead the way good sir." She said. James chuckled and walked out onto the dance floor. They took the very familiar stance and began swaying to the slow song.  
  
Lily sighed and leant against him slightly. "I'm surprised you're not sick of dancing by now." She said. James laughed and twirled her.  
  
"I don't think I'll ever be sick of dancing with you." He said. Lily smiled and squeezed his hand.  
  
"That's good to know." She said. James smiled and span around with her.  
  
Lily sighed in contentment, enjoying the feeling of him against her. So when she felt a familiar feeling of heat flood over her, she was rather surprised. It seemed to come from nowhere, but there it was. She looked at him, but he apparently hadn't noticed anything.  
  
Lily closed her eyes and let her other senses take over. She breathed in his familiar scent and relaxed. The atmosphere was making her crazy and her best bet was probably to get out of there.  
  
The song changed and Lily pulled back slightly. "Er James, lets go for a walk." She said. James looked slightly surprised by her sudden shift in mood, but smiled and nodded.  
  
"Ok, lets go get our stuff."  
  
---  
  
"Is it cold outside?" James asked, rummaging through his case. Lily stared at him for a second, before she shook herself.  
  
"Um, I think it might be." She said. James nodded and pulled out a jacket and pair of shoes.  
  
"Great. Ok then, well...' he said, standing up and looking at her '...if you want to get your...' he trailed off. He looked at her with worry. "What's the matter?" he asked.  
  
Lily was looking at him with clouded eyes. She didn't want to go walking. "I...' she started, but trailed off. James took a step towards her.  
  
"Lily, what's the...' but that's as far as he got as Lily threw herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him deeply.  
  
James moaned, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. It was a frenzy of hands roaming over bodies, wanting to touch everywhere possible. James groaned in protest as Lily hopped down and let go of him. She ran towards the door and for a second, James was afraid she was going to run off. But she simply locked the door and muttered a few charms with her wand. She then pointed it between them, muttered a few words making the space bewteen them glow. James smiled down at her.

"Just in case." she whispered. James smirked, plucked the wand out of her hand and tossed it aside.  
  
_Where had she got that?_ he wondered. But he didn't really care as seconds later, she was with him again.  
  
Lily moaned as James's hands slid under her shirt and caressed her stomach. She suddenly felt a sense of freedom rush over her. This was it. No boundaries, no restrictions...just them.  
  
James couldn't believe how soft her skin was, and he was now itching to feel the rest of her. He nuzzled her neck and smelled her. She had a musky scent about her that aroused James even more.   
  
What started out as fast, became slow and sensual as Lily slipped her hands under the bottom of his shirt, lifted it over his head and dropped it somewhere on the floor. James watched on as Lily gazed at his toned chest. She licked her lips and slowly ran her hands along him, taking in every detail.  
  
She had touched him before, but it was only a quick skim. This time, she intended to take in every detail. She leant forward and kissed his left peck, very slightly running her tongue along. She smiled as she felt James shiver, impressed that she could do that to him. She smirked, wondering how much more she could do. She pulled back, ran her fingers down his stomach to the top of his trousers, her fingers leaving trails of fire along his skin and began undoing his belt.  
  
James simply watched as Lily undressed him agonizingly slow. He was already becoming rather hard and wasn't quite sure how well he could control himself. Suddenly, he left Lily's hand brush lightly against him and he moaned.  
  
Lily looked up at him confused for a moment, before she realized. She smiled and let his pants to the floor. She looked at his boxers and chuckled. Chudley Cannon's. She pulled back and looked up at him.  
  
"What?" he asked. Lily smiled, reached up and began unbuttoning her shirt. She saw James lick his lips as she slowly took the next step towards showing herself to him.  
  
Finally, the shirt left her shoulders, leaving her in her white bra. James, not being bale to take not touching her anymore, closed the distance between them and began kissing her neck. Lily closed her eyes and shivered as James's lips worshiped her skin. Her skin was perfect. Not a flaw anywhere except for the few freckles on her chest. James smirked and kissed each of them.  
  
He kissed his way down her collarbone, along her chest and finally ran his hands along her shoulders, around her back and unclasped her bra. It fell away slowly, revealing her bare breasts. James sighed and reached out his hand, but stopped short, feeling unsure.  
  
Lily took his hand, smiled reassuringly at him and placed it softly on her left breast. Encourages, James began caressing her. Lily closed her eyes and let James play with her breasts, one after the other. She moaned in pleasure as he took one into his moth, sucking on it gently.  
  
Slowly but surely, James removed the rest of Lily clothing until she stood there in only her panties. James kissed his way down to her belly, picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down softly, settled down next to her and ran his hand up the inside of her leg. Lily shivered with anticipation and his hand made its way to a place no-one had ever been before.  
  
Lily reached out and stopped his hands progress. He looked up at her with confusion.  
  
"What?" he breathed. Lily smiled and kissed him.  
  
"I want to see you." She whispered. James swallowed.  
  
"But...but what bout you?" he asked. Lily smiled and kissed him softly.  
  
"I can wait. I want to see _you_." She said again. James hesitated for a second, before he nodded. Lily rolled over, put her finger along the hem of his boxers and slowly, pulled them down, her eyes not leaving his the entire time.  
  
And then he was completely naked. Lily looked down at him for the fist time and felt the last thing she expected. Comfortable. She had expected their first time to be full of nerves and awkwardness. But she did not feel embarrassed at all. She ran her hand along his leg and slowly ran her forefinger along his length. She surprised the urge to laugh as she saw it twitch and become even harder. She looked up at James. His eyes were closed.  
  
Lily smirked, feeling very much in control as she wrapped her hand along his shaft, stroking him softly. James moaned and involuntarily moved his hips against her. Lily watched his face contort in ecstasy. He was beautiful.  
  
James's eyes flew open and he took her hand away from him. He rolled her back over and without asking, slid his hand up her leg again and began teasing her over the top of her panties. Already she was rather wet. James leant over and kissed his way up the inside of her thigh, feeling her shiver the closer he got.  
  
"James." She moaned, running her hand along his back. Encouraged, James slipped off her panties and slowly inserted one finger inside of her. Lily moaned again in pleasure as James began stroking her sensitive area very slowly.  
  
He watched her move with his hand; quite sure he had never been more turned on in his entire life. Her eyes were closed and she was muttering incoherently.  
  
"James...please..." she breathed.  
  
Unable to take the heat anymore, James removed his fingers and settled above her. He looked down at her face, beads of sweat already forming on her brow. She looked up at him and ran her hands along his face.  
  
"Lily, I love you." He breathed against her. Lily kissed him desperately and ran her tongue along his lip.  
  
"I love you too. Please James..." she breathed.  
  
James hesitated for a moment, before he finally thrust forward and entered her. He moaned with pleasure, but it was quickly pushed aside as he saw her face contorted with slight pain.  
  
"I'm sorry." He whispered. Lily smiled and shook her head.  
  
"Its alright. It'll pass." She said. Lily laughed softly as James didn't move. "I won't break James." She said. James smiled, kissed her again and slowly began moving inside her.  
  
Slowly, Lily adjusted to the feeling of James inside her and her pain was replaced with building pleasure. She moaned, closed her eyes and threw her head back against the pillow and James increased his rhythm.  
  
James moaned Lily's name as he felt the pressure building. He loved her more than anything. He looked down at her and kissed her exposed neck. "Open your eyes." He whispered. Lily did so and their eyes locked.  
  
Lily moaned, but did not look away from him. They were two bodies, connected by love and desperation that no force on earth could have broken. Lily felt herself getting close and kissed James again.  
  
James thrust into her once...twice...and that was all it took. Lily cried out loudly in please as she felt her first mind-blowing orgasm hit her like a tone of bricks. James moaned Lily's name and released into her moments later.  
  
James collapsed on top of Lily, both breathing hard. James lifted his head and looked down at her. She was looking at him with love and disbelief.  
  
James moved to pull out of her. "No." Lily said, grabbing his shoulders. James toped half way and looked at her. "Wait a moment." She whispered. James moved back a little and waited, watching Lily close her eyes. She didn't want him to leave yet.  
  
After a few moments, Lily nodded and James left her. Lily moaned, a feeling of loss washing over her. But it was soon replaced as James laid his head on her chest and wrapped his arm around her waist. Lily smiled and kissed the top of his head, their breathing slowly returning back to normal.  
  
Lily frowned slightly as she felt James next to her. "You're shaking." She whispered. James smiled, kissed her chest and it was only then when Lily saw tears in his eyes.  
  
"I'll be alright." He whispered. Lily smiled and rubbed his bareback reassuringly. "Thank you." James breathed softly. Lily smiled and closed her eyes.  
  
"You're welcome." She said.

* * *

A/N - Wow. Thats the only word i have at the moment. Again, i aplogize if it wasnt terribly descriptive, but i have had no experience with sex what-so-ever!

Please review!


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31! Well, we're almost at the end. Should I write a sequel to this sequel? Let me know!

* * *

Since their first night together two weeks ago, it was like the floodgates had been opened. Lily and James wouldn't tell anyone this, but that had made love so many times they were threatening to break a world record.  
  
James was still impressed with Lily and her sexual prowess. And as he watched her swimming in the pool in front of him, he couldn't help but want to be with her again. He smiled, amazed at how a person could be well-spoken, classy and dignified in public, but just a bunch of grunts, moans and cries of ecstasy when in the middle of such an intimate act.  
  
James kicked the water with his feet, making it splash over a bunch of kids nearby. They giggled and splashed James back. James smiled and winked at them. This had been going on for the past 15 minutes while Lily did laps of the pool.  
  
He loved the way she glided through the water effortlessly. She was definitely a water baby, and her skill at swimming showed that. She reminded James of Aerial, the Little Mermaid. With her long, red hair gliding behind her...not to mention she looked very sexy in her bathing suit.  
  
James smiled as Lily made her way slowly over to him underneath the water. Her head broke the surface just as she arrived at his feet. She blinked droplets out of her eyes and smiled up at him.  
  
"Are you just going to sit there all day, or are you actually going to get in and swim with me?" she asked. James smiled as she grabbed his feet and began swinging them back and forth.  
  
"I'm getting a tan. And I'm admiring the view." He said, looking up into the cloudless, sunny sky. Lily smirked and kissed his knee.  
  
"Yeah well, if you weren't wearing your glasses, I'd just drag you in anyway." She said. "And you need to wax your legs." She said, running her hands up his shins. James laughed and leant closer to her.  
  
"Well, we could probably go up to our room and fix that problem." He whispered suggestively. Lily smirked, leant up and kissed him.  
  
"Give me a minute." She whispered. James smiled.  
  
Lily winked up at him, pushed herself off the wall and dived beneath the surface. James smiled after her. He looked over to see the kids giggling at him, making faces of mock kissing. James laughed, splashed them again and got up.  
  
He scratched his bare chest, gave Lily one more look and made his way up to their room, trying not to look too excited.  
  
------  
  
"Sirius, this is _so_ mean! I feel so deceitful!" Allison said harshly down to Sirius. Sirius sniffed up at her and leapt over a stray branch on the path.  
  
Allison glared down at the dog beside her. "I mean it! We are horrible people." She said. Sirius jumped in front of her, blocking her path and rubbed his head softly up her shin. Allison sighed and lightly kicked him away.  
  
"Don't even try sucking up. You owe me big time!" she said, pulling the lead. Sirius barked happily and continued trotting beside her.  
  
Allison sighed, ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her sunglasses. She couldn't even believe he had convinced her to do this. They were on their way to the cinema, as Sirius had announced suddenly he had an urge to see a movie.  
  
"Sirius, you're meant to be leading the way." She whispered out of the corner of her mouth. She could almost see Sirius roll his eyes as he increased his step, pulling her with him.  
  
A few more turns later, Allison and Sirius arrived at the ticket booth. The girl behind the glass smiled warmly at Allison.  
  
"Afternoon. What can I do for you?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah um, I'd like one for Star Wars please." She said, reaching into her pocket. _I have to be careful_ she thought.  
  
The girl looked down at the dog at her side. "Er Ma'am, there's no dogs allowed in the cinema." She said. Allison felt Sirius move slightly at her leg.  
  
"He's my guide-dog." Allison said confidently, feeling very guilty at the same time. As she predicted, the girl's expression changed.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course, would you like me to help you with your money?" she asked. Allison smiled and, trying to act blind, handed over her purse.  
  
_Going straight to hell for this_ she thought.  
  
Sirius watched the scene from his position with interest. He nuzzled Allison's leg slightly, trying to reassure her that she was doing fine. He could sense her nervousness.  
  
"Well, there you are. It's cinema 3. You'll be alright?" the woman asked.  
  
"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. Come on Sirius, cinema 3." She said. Sirius barked softly and led Allison off into the building.  
  
Allison did not say a word until she and Sirius were securely in the actual theatre. Sirius led Allison to a seat right at the back, out of sight. She sat down silently and sighed as Sirius jumped into the seat next to her.  
  
"My god Sirius. That was _so_ scary." She whispered.  
  
"Yeah, but fun right?"  
  
Allison smiled and looked at the now human form of Sirius Black sitting next to her. "Are you insane? You must be." She said. Sirius chuckled and put his arm around her.  
  
"Just don't forget to leave the sunglasses on." He said. Allison, who was just about to take them off, looked at him in horror.  
  
"You mean I have to watch the movie with _THESE_?" she said, pointing to her eyes.  
  
"Shh! Yes, otherwise they'll know you've been lying." He whispered. Allison glared at him.  
  
"And how do you explain the location of my missing guide-dog?" she whispered.  
  
Sirius smiled and winked at her. "Simple." He whispered. Allison watched on in amazement as Sirius whipped out his wand and a small toy figurine of a sleeping dog. "_Engorgio_." He whispered, and the figurine enlarged to the size of a real-life dog. He smiled, satisfied with himself and laid it on the floor at Allison's feet.  
  
"Oh my god." she chuckled softly. She was forever amazed at how prepared Sirius always seemed to be. She looked around at the slowly entering crowd to see if anyone had noticed anything. They hadn't.  
  
Sirius sighed lazily, put his arm around her again and relaxed into his seat. "Just sit back and enjoy the film." He said. Allison smiled, shook her head and looked up at the screen.  
  
As the lights dimmed, Allison slowly got over her fear and watched the trailers. Although she was still rather mad at herself. Mad for deceiving people and using an unfortunate disability as a way to get Sirius into a movie for free...  
  
And mad for enjoying it so much.  
  
------  
  
Remus crossed the threshold of Trinity's flat and looked around. She wasn't kidding when she said it was only small.  
  
It was a simply little place with a small living room, and equally small kitchen. There was a short hallway that had two rooms off it, the bathroom and her bedroom.  
  
"So, this is it. Its all I can afford right now." Trinity said, closing the door behind him. Remus smiled and turned around to face her.  
  
"Its very cozy." He said, smiling.  
  
Trinity laughed, took her coat off and tossed it over the back of an armchair. "Its nice of you to try and make it sound pleasant. But really...it's a shithole." She said. Remus chuckled as she walked past him into the kitchen.  
  
"You're not ashamed of it are you?" he asked, taking his jacket off. Trinity smiled and opened the fridge.  
  
"If I was, I wouldn't have invited you up here." She said, examining the contents of her fridge. "Butterbeer ok?" she asked. Remus nodded. Trinity smiled, reached into the fridge, pulled out two bottles and kicked the door closed behind her.  
  
She walked into the living room and handed the bottle to Remus. "Thanks.' He said warmly. 'I'm sorry I've always declined your invitations up here, but it just...I've been a bit reluctant." He said bashfully. Trinity set her bottle down on the table beside her and sighed.  
  
"I know, and I totally understand. I suppose you've been under the impression that I wanna get you up here just so we can shag." She chuckled. Remus laughed, cracked open his bottle and took a sip.  
  
"Actually, I was." He said. Trinity smiled and took a step closer to him.  
  
"Well, you were right." She said. Remus nearly choked on his mouthful as she ran a hand up his arm. He had _NOT_ been expecting that.  
  
"You...you have?" he stuttered. Trinity took his bottle off him and set it down next to her.  
  
"Remus, you're one of the nicest, most decent guys I've ever met. All the guys I've been with in the past have been total assholes only after one thing." She said softly. Remus watched her eyes as she walked around him, running her hand along his shoulder.  
  
"But not you.' She whispered. "You're kind...caring...honest...and sexy as all hell." She said softly, kissing his shoulders at every interval. Remus chuckled and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent surrounding them. He recognized it instantly.  
  
Arousal.  
  
Trinity stood level with him again and ran her hand along his cheek. "I don't want to make you feel like you have to do anything Remus. I just...wanted you to know how I feel." She said, leaning closer. It was taking everything Remus had to stay in control. Her lips were mere millimeters from his...  
  
"What do you want?" she whispered. Remus could feel her breath on his lips.  
  
"I want..." he trailed off, running his hands along her sides. He suddenly felt very possessive. "I want...' he started again, but he couldn't seem to get it out.  
  
"What?" Trinity whispered, her eyes closed.  
  
Remus did the only thing that made sense; he leant in and closed the distance between them. Trinity didn't seem at all uncomfortable with the sudden force he was using with her. Trinity loved this side of him. It was a very primal beauty about him she didn't understand. It fascinated her.  
  
Remus growled low in the back of his throat and backed Trinity up against the nearest wall. She moaned as Remus's hands made their way up and down her torso.  
  
Remus, although more bold than he had ever been before, was very reluctant to touch her anywhere else. Trinity pulled back slightly and looked at him. She slid her hand softly over his and guided it up towards her breast. Remus swallowed nervously, but did not pull back.  
  
He touched her softly, causing her to moan. He stroked her again softly, getting the same reaction. He knew something else was meant to happen here, but his mind was all over the place.  
  
"Trinity..." he breathed. Trinity opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes full of lust.  
  
"Mmm?" she asked, pressing her forehead against his.  
  
"I don't...' he began bashfully '...I don't know what I'm doing." He admitted. "I've...never done anything like this before." He said. He looked at the floor in embarrassment.  
  
Trinity put her finger underneath his chin and made him look her in the eye. Remus was relieved to see neither humor, nor annoyance in her eyes.  
  
She grabbed his hand, kissed it and looked back up at him again.  
  
"I'll teach you." She whispered.  
  
Remus smiled warmly and kissed her again, his whole body shaking as she led him to the bedroom.  
  
---------  
  
Lily cried out in release and collapsed against James, both of them breathing hard. James sighed in pleasure and kissed the side of Lily's head. She smiled and sucked on his neck, still moving slightly with him as the aftershock of her orgasm wore off.  
  
Lily smirked as she heard James moan in his throat. She got off him, turned around in the small confines of the bath and lay against him, her back to his chest. James smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her earlobe.  
  
Lily was quite sure that there was no safer place in the entire world than in her husband's arms. Strong, muscular and protective, she felt that nothing could harm her when he held her close.  
  
At the thought of her husband, Lily lifted her left hand away from his leg, out of the water and examined the ring on her finger. She smiled and relaxed against him more.  
  
"Do you like it?" James whispered, nuzzling her neck. Lily squirmed slightly and nodded.  
  
"Its exquisite James." She said. James smiled and took her hand with his.  
  
"It's a very special and unique ring. You know why?" he asked. Lily shook her head. "Well, see this gem?" he asked, running his forefinger across the small green gem on the left.  
  
"Yes..." she said.  
  
"Yeah, well that's _your_ birthstone. And this...' James said, running his finger over the blue gem on the right '...is _my_ birthstone. And this...' He ran his finger over the slightly larger gem in the middle '...is both of our birthstones melded together. So that we'll be forever joined as one." He said.  
  
Lily smiled, as she looked at her ring in a new light. She hadn't even realized.  
  
"Well, as if it wasn't special enough already." She said. She turned her head, leant up and kissed him.  
  
James chuckled against Lily's lips as she felt her hand make her way up his left leg. "Lillian, I do believe you are turning into a sex maniac." He said. Lily laughed and ran her other hand up his other leg.  
  
"No, I just like the feel of your freshly waxed legs." She said.  
  
James smiled, but inwardly winced at the memory as Lily turned around again and began kissing her way down his chest...  
  
-----------  
  
A/N – Geez, there all a bit horney today aren't they? The next chapter is most likely the last, so thanks for reading!  
  
Please review! 


	32. Epilouge

Chapter 32! Well, thanks for sticking with me guys. I know this has been a very long story, but I really had no idea it would be so when I began writing it. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read and review this. Hopefully I'll see more of you in the future!

* * *

(TWO MONTHS LATER)   
  
Lily was not aware of the difficulty one could have with such a simple task. But as she tried to put the key in the hole, she was now slowly beginning to understand why. When your husband is totally insistent on trying to kiss you passionately at the same time, it does become rather a hassle.  
  
"James, I need to unlock...the door." Lily breathed. James chuckled, sighed and ceased his progress down her neck.  
  
"Fine then. Do as you will." he said, waving a hand at the door. Lily smiled, found her key and reached for the door. James smiled and whipped out his wand.  
  
"Alohamora." James said, and the door unlocked obediently. Lily looked at him with amusement as he slipped her wand away. "Can I kiss you now?" he asked. Lily chuckled, and James grabbed her waist and brought her against him with a squeal.  
  
"James, the neighbors!" she giggled. She felt him smirk against her neck.  
  
"Let them watch." He muttered defiantly. Lily cast a glace around the street, now finding that she didn't much care what they thought either.  
  
Lily turned the handle and the door swung open, almost causing Lily and James to fall onto the floor. James picked Lily up around the middle, carried her inside and kicked the door closed behind them. The house was dark.  
  
"Welcome home." James whispered against her. Lily smiled and ran her hand up his thigh.  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Lily and James both broke away from each other and looked at each other confused. And it was only until they turned to look into the living room did they notice that they were in fact, not alone.  
  
The three Marauders, plus Allison and Trinity were standing in the middle of the room, looking at the couple with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. The living room was decorated with streamers and balloons with a large banner behind them saying, 'Welcome home'.  
  
Peter shook himself out of his daze and smiled. "Surprise!" he said happily.  
  
The spell that had kept them all quiet was instantly broken as they all groaned. Sirius whacked Peter of the back of the head.  
  
"Well _duh_ Wormtail. However, _we_ aren't the ones that are meant to be surprised." He said, smirking at James. James chuckled nervously and let go of Lily all together.  
  
"Welcome home!" Allison said, running forward. Lily laughed, ran forward and they met each other in the middle with a large, tight hug. James laughed, stepped forward and greeted everyone else.  
  
As soon as the greetings were over, the group exchanged stories of the last two months. Lily and James listened on in interest as Allison and Sirius told them about all the pranks they had been pulling, and they two listen on as James and Lily announced that during their stay, that had taken up a few extra-curricular activities.  
  
"Dancing eh? Sounds great. What type?" Peter asked.  
  
Sirius smirked. "Ballet. Its obvious with Prongs's wonderful long, feminine legs." He said. James threw a cork at him and glared.  
  
"No, although Ballet is rather nice. Its Latin, salsa type stuff. We're not the best, but I think we're getting there." Lily said, relaxing against James.  
  
"Wow. Sexy stuff." Allison said. Trinity laughed.  
  
"Care to give us a bit of a demo?" she asked, dancing in her seat. James shook his head and laughed.  
  
"Oh no. Not right now. Maybe later, as we are totally buggered." He said. Remus snorted into his drink.  
  
"Didn't look like it before." He muttered.  
  
-----  
  
Later, it was time to give out their gifts, and it took everything Lily had to not burst out laughing as she watched Sirius play with his snow-dome.  
  
"So, how do they get the snow inside? How do they stop it from melting?" he asked, squinting though one eye. Remus laughed as he opened his gift. It was new, green sweater.  
  
"Its fake Sirius." Allison said, admiring her new, designer sunglasses. Sirius looked at her curiously, before looking back at the object in his hands.  
  
"Its like ships in a bottle." Peter said. "_God_ knows how they put them in there." He said, shrugging. James chuckled and rested his elbow against Lily's.  
  
Lily smiled to herself as she watched Sirius continue to work out the mystery of his snow dome. She had had the best Honeymoon she could have ever asked for. Maybe it was because of the fact that she was with James 24/7. Maybe it was the fact that she was in Hawaii, one of her most favorite places in the world. Thinking about all this made her wish she were there again.  
  
It wasn't that she wasn't happy to be home, but part of her wished she and James could have stayed there forever, forgetting about everything else but each other.  
  
James looked at her and kissed her cheek, bringing her back to reality. "You ok?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.  
  
"Of course. Just a bit tired." She said. James smiled, winked at her and went back to a conversation with Trinity.  
  
-------  
  
"You two drive safe!" Lily called as Sirius and Allison got onto the motorbike. Sirius roiled his eyes and capped his sunglasses at her.  
  
"Lillian, shut up. I am invincible." He said cockily. Allison laughed, blew Lily and James a kiss and the two of them drove off down the street.  
  
James smiled as he felt Lily flinch next to him as Sirius did a sharp turn at the end of the street. He came roaring back towards them and just as he passed them, they lifted into the air with a BANG. Allison's cheers could be heard as they flew off into the distance.  
  
James turned to Lily next to him and smiled. She had her arms wrapped around herself, watching the sky with apprehension.  
  
"My stomach jumps every time he does that." She muttered. James chuckled, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and led her back into the house.  
  
"You're such a mother." He chuckled. Lily looked at him in mock horror as he opened the front door open for her.  
  
"Excuse me? Is it a _crime_ to worry?" she asked. James smiled as she walked past him into the house.  
  
He closed the door behind them and followed Lily into the kitchen. Everyone had left earlier, deciding that Lily and James deserved at least some time alone.  
  
"Only when its paranoia." He said. Lily smiled, took his hand and led him up the stairs. As they reached the top of the stairs, she turned around to face him, walking backwards up the hallway.  
  
"Are you still hot for me?" she asked. James chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, backing her up.  
  
"Always have been, and always will be." He whispered. Lily smiled, ran her hands up his arms, along his shoulders and up to his face.  
  
"Even right now?" she whispered, leaning in. James smiled and closed the distance between them.  
  
"Especially right now." He breathed. Lily giggled as James backed her into their bedroom door. She fumbled behind her for the handle as James continued to kiss her very passionately.  
  
Finally, Lily opened the door, causing them once again to stumble through the doorway. James chuckled as he moved his way back down to her neck. He sucked lightly on a sensitive are near her ear, making her shiver. They weren't messing around anymore.  
  
Lily moaned and ran her hands through his hair. James opened his eyes and looked over her shoulder into the room.  
  
And his eyes widened.  
  
"Lily. Lily, look." He whispered. Lily groaned in protest and looked around. But she too momentarily forgot about what they were doing as she looked at the scene in front of her.  
  
Dozens upon dozens of candles had been lit and placed on the windowsills, on shelves and along the bed head. Their bed was now covered in both red rose petals and Lily petals. There were incense sticks burning somewhere, giving off the scent of Lavender.  
  
Lily let go of James entirely and put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god." she whispered. James stood level with her and smiled. "Did you do this?" she asked, looking at him.  
  
James shook his head, still looking around. "No! I wish I had though." He said. Lily chuckled and continued to look around in wonder. James walked past her to the bedside table. He picked up a small note that was lying there, perfectly conspicuous compared to the rest of the room.  
  
Lily watched James read it. As he finished, he smiled and chuckled. "What's it say?" she asked, walking towards him. James looked at her and smiled.  
  
"_We thought this would make your transition from the Honeymoon suite to home just that little bit easier. Keep it simple, the kinkiness is for later when you're old and out of passion. Remus and Sirius_.' James looked up at her and chuckled. "Dickheads." He muttered.  
  
Lily laughed, plucked the note out of his hand and tossed it over her shoulder. "Well, yes and no." she said. James smiled as she slid her hands up his chest and wrapped the around his neck, remaining him of what they had started only a few minutes ago. "Are you aware that we have never made love in this bed?" she whispered.  
  
James shivered under her stare. "Yes I am. What are you suggesting Mrs. Potter?" he asked. Lily smirked, let go of him and began unbuttoning her shirt.  
  
"Well...I was thinking...maybe we could christen it." She said. James simply watched as her shirt fell to the floor. She lay down on the bed and looked up at him expectantly. He loved that sublte 'come-hithering' thing she did.  
  
James moaned, took off his glasses, laid them on the bedside table and lay down on top of her. He kissed her passionately and ran his hands along her side.  
  
"I think that's a wonderful idea." He said.  
  
--------  
  
(EIGHT MONTHS LATER)   
  
Sirius and James walked out of their classroom, both groaning with the sheer force of their training sessions.  
  
"You know, we can never train enough for that madman." James said, stretching his arm. Sirius chuckled and cracked his knuckles.  
  
"I don't think even Superman would be fit enough." He said. James laughed and adjusted his bag on his shoulder.  
  
They had just had an intensive, martial arts type session. Purely physical and very challenging. The classroom had been charmed into a type of obstacle course for the class, in which they had to attempt in a certain amount of time. It wasn't just any normal course, but there were many boggarts enclosed in secret areas, and mock Death Eaters roaming around. It was very tiring and 2 hours later, James and Sirius were glad to get out of there.  
  
As James and Sirius turned another corner, Sirius let out another groan. "You know, they should really invest in a massage parlor for this dump. _God_ knows many ministry officials could use a good massage." He said.  
  
James chuckled. "Or a good shag." He muttered as two grumpy-looking wizards walked past them. Sirius barked out a laugh and clapped James on the shoulder, making him wince.  
  
"Too right Prongs. Oh, sorry about that." He said. James smiled weakly at him as he rubbed his sore shoulder.  
  
James and Sirius walked up another two flights of stairs until they came to a familiar corridor.  
  
"Hey, did I tell you? Lily's sister's pregnant." James chuckled. Sirius halted his progress down the hallway and looked at James with both horror and amusement.  
  
"I'm sorry, I thought you just said Petunia is _pregnant_." He said. James smiled and nodded.  
  
"I know." He said, chuckling at his best friend's expression. Sirius stared blankly at James for a moment, before his face contorted into distaste.  
  
"Urgh, people like that should not be _allowed_ to procreate. Especially those two! I mean, the sheer mechanics of it are mind-boggling!" he said. James laughed and cringed also.  
  
"I know! I think Lily was more grossed out than anything. She's a few weeks in apparently." James said, starting his progress back down the hall. Sirius put a hand to his face and groaned.  
  
"Yuck. That's just...yuck." He said. James laughed and nodded.  
  
They walked a few more meters, before they came to Lily's office door. James opened the door and walked straight in, Sirius right behind him. Trinity looked up at them in shock, nearly falling out of her chair.  
  
"Excuse me _ladies_, but you cant just walk into a persons office without knocking!" she said, smirking. "We could have been shagging in here for all you know." She said. Sirius and James exchanged a glace.  
  
"We?" Sirius asked.  
  
At that moment, Remus stuck his head up from behind the desk. "Yes. _We_." He said.  
  
Sirius and James looked down at their best friend in amazement. "Moony, what are you doing down there?" James asked, smirking. Remus sighed and pushed himself off the ground.  
  
"I'm fixing the leg of the chair." He said smoothly. Sirius snorted.  
  
"While she's sitting in it?" he asked. Remus fidgeted under his best friends amused stare. Trinity was giggling behind her hand.  
  
"Yeah well...she's testing the weight." Remus muttered, stepping away. Sirius laughed.  
  
"Yeah ok. Look, where's my wife?" James asked, looking over at Lily's empty desk.  
  
"Oh, she told me to tell you she would meet you at home. She left early." Trinity said, filling through some papers. James looked over at her.  
  
"Did she say where she was going?" he asked. Trinity shook her head. James sighed. "Alright then. I guess I'll just go home then. See you two later." He said to Sirius and Remus, getting his wand out.  
  
They nodded and James disapparated. Trinity got out of her seat and walked towards the door with a bunch of papers. "Ok, I'll only be gone for a second. Don't touch anything." She said, smirking.  
  
Sirius turned to Remus as soon as Trinity was down the hall and out of earshot.  
  
"So, fixing the chair, eh Moony? Its that what they're calling it now?"  
  
------------------  
  
James walked into the house and immediately looked around for her. "Lils? Honey you home yet?" he called out. He looked around the living room and there she was, sitting in a corner in her favorite chair.  
  
"Hey." She said, looking out the window. James walked up to her and as he did so, he noticed she had a glass of wine in her hand.  
  
"Hey. I um, went to see you at the office today but you weren't there." He said.  
  
"Oh, sorry about that." She said distantly. James eyed her. She had a dreamy, content look on her face. Was she drunk?  
  
"Baby, are you alright?" he asked. Lily slowly shifted her gaze to him and smiled up at him.  
  
"Couldn't be happier." She whispered. James was now rather concerned. He pulled over a footstool and sat down in front of her.  
  
"Lily, what's going on?" he asked. Lily sighed, reached over to the small table beside her and picked up a spare glass.  
  
"Well, I have some news." She said. James watched on in interest as she poured another glass of red wine.  
  
"Um, alright then. Don't tell me your sisters having twins." He said, cringing again at the thought. Lily let out a belly laugh and sat up slightly.  
  
"No. Nothing to do with Petunia." She said, handing him the glass. James smiled in interest as he took it from her.  
  
"Ok then. What?" he pressed. Lily sighed, stood up and walked over to the window.  
  
"I went to the doctor today." She said, looking out into the street. James sat up straighter.  
  
"The doctor? Why? Is everything alright? Are you sick?" he asked, slightly hysterical. But Lily simply smiled.  
  
"Oh yes, everything fine." She said. James relaxed slightly, put his untouched wine down and walked over to her.  
  
"Well then, what's the matter?" he asked, standing behind her.  
  
Lily sighed, turned to him and took his hand. James watched her face with interest as she guided his hand along her thigh and up to her stomach.  
  
"I'm pregnant." She said, grinning widely.  
  
James looked at her stunned. He was speechless. "You're...you're..." he stuttered. Lily smiled happily and nodded. "What do you meant pregnant?" he asked stupidly. Lily giggled.  
  
"Well lets see...I've got a bun in the oven...I've been knocked up...I've got a watermelon in the fridge...shall I keep going? I've got more." She said. James let out a short laugh of amazement.  
  
"You're...we're going to have a baby?" he whispered. Lily smiled humorously and kissed him.  
  
"Uh huh." She whispered. James smiled back, but suddenly his expression changed. He stepped back and looked around, not knowing what to do with himself.  
  
"You...you need to sit down! Put your feet up!" he said, grabbing her softly and guiding her back to the chair. Lily laughed as James sat her down.  
  
"James honestly, I'm fine." She said, picking up her glass again.

"You're in a delecate condidiont!" He said, amking sure she was comfortable. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Honestly James, I dont have cancer." she chuckled. James sat down in front of her again and looked at her fondly.  
  
"What...how did you know?" he asked, nervously sculling his wine in one mouthful.  
  
Lily chuckled. "Well, I'd missed my period and it's usually quite predictable. So, I went to see the doctor and...well, I'm pregnant." She said. James put his glass down and took her knees in his hands.  
  
"So...you're pregnant." He repeated. Lily giggled at him.  
  
"Yes James." She said, leaning forward. James laughed softly as Lily stroked his cheek.  
  
"I'm...going to be a daddy?" he whispered.  
  
"Yes James." She repeated.  
  
James simply watched her warmly for a moment, taking all this informaiton in. Suddenly, he jumped out of his chair, pulling Lily with him. She laughed as he dragged her into the kitchen and sat her down at the small table.  
  
"James, what are you doing?" she chuckled. James smiled, seized the phone and clumsily punched in numbers.  
  
Lily watched on in amusement as James bobbed up and down impatiently on the spot. Finally, someone must have answered as James's whole face lit up.  
  
"Padfoot, its me. Guess what? We're having a baby!"

* * *

A/N – Well, there we have it. The end. I left it open for when I do a squeal. Yes, I WILL do a sequel, just not straight away. I want to have a go at writing another shipping story.  
  
The sequel will be about the pregnancy, birth and some time there after. I won't even attempt to do their deaths, as I am no-where near that good. Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story!


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